Brothers
by N.V.9
Summary: Two boys, abused for seven years of their lives, run, hoping to find the boys in the picture.
1. Chapter 1

**1**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Kyuubi fine?" Naruto whispered moving across the cage to sit next to Kyuubi.

"I'm fine Naruto." Kyuubi flinched but hoped Naruto didn't see it in the dark. He hurt so much. It always hurt. Why was his mother so cruel to them? Why did she hate them so much? Every time she saw them she hurt them. She starved them and when it was cold, she left the window, in their room surrounded by bars, open and them completely naked with only the grubby pair of shorts that they always wore.

Every day for the seven years Kyuubi and his twin, Naruto, had been alive they were afraid. Kyuubi only knew they were seven because she would always curse them. Every year that went by another number was added on.

And when she was with that man it was worse. She let that man hurt them and do things to them that hurt. He made Naruto the way he was now. Naruto couldn't talk right anymore, he couldn't see right. He couldn't do anything right anymore. His mind no longer worked like Kyuubi's. Kyuubi was his only protection against them. Kyuubi tried so hard to keep his brother safe but it wasn't always enough. Naruto now had six scars lining his face to prove Kyuubi had failed.

Why did she hate them?

"Kyuubi hurt?" Naruto asked reaching out his hand to try and find Kyuubi's face. Kyuubi used his slightly sore right arm to grab Naruto's hand to touch his face.

"I'm fine Naruto." he said again tucking Naruto's shivering body close to his own. All they wanted was some food. Kyuubi should have known better then to try and ask for some. Shifting his body, so that Naruto's bony ribs weren't rubbing against his own, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain in his left arm and hand. Already he was trying to forget tonight's attack. He tried to forget about the board and the rope. He didn't want to think about what the man did, but it wouldn't go away.

"Kyuubi hurt?" Naruto asked again wrapping his skinny arms around Kyuubi's waist. "Naruto hurt Kyuubi."

"No Naruto!" Kyuubi denied angrily. "You didn't do anything." Kyuubi felt the small tears land on his chest. "Don't cry Naruto. Don't cry. Tomorrow will be better." but it never was. Every day that would come would always be the same. They would always be given to the man. Kyuubi knew it was bad what the man did, his mother had called the man all kinds of foul names telling him he'd go to hell. But the man didn't care, he only wanted them and his mom always gave him them.

It was some time later that they both fell asleep on the cold cement floor.

The next morning their cage was opened and his mother stood there with a tray of rotting food in her hands. With a drunken sneer she threw the tray at them, covering them in food. "Eat up you disgusting animals."

Kyuubi wiped the food off of Naruto then himself. Digging through the pile, he tried to find anything that looked more edible. He grimanced as his hand went through the mush and rotting food. With a sigh he pulled the green and black thing away from Naruto's hand, stopping him before he could put it in his mouth. He knew food wasn't supposed to look like this. He saw the food his mom and the man ate and it didn't look like this. "Naruto stop it's not good."

"Naruto hungry." Naruto whined but did as Kyuubi told him.

Kyuubi looked around tiredly trying to figure out what to feed Naruto. When he looked toward the door he blinked. It was open. The door was open. "Naruto wait here." he said quietly and made his way to the door. Once there he slowly opened it and peeked out. Not hearing his mother or the man he walked out of the room. Knowing where the kitchen was he tiptoed toward the right. Listening for any sound he opened the fridge and pulled out a few pieces of fruit and cheese. He didn't want them to know he was in here. It was best if they didn't know.

And so over the next few weeks Kyuubi always checked to see if the door was open. A few times he got lucky. Sometimes he even left twice as he looked around the house. Which is how he ended up in his mother's closet with Naruto sitting beside his mother's bed.

"Kyuubi she mad. Naruto know she mad." Naruto said in a fearful voice clutching his little legs to his chest.

"Shhh Naruto, it's okay they're not here, remember?" Kyuubi reminded him as he dug in one of the boxes that was pushed to the back. It was the only one that looked well used and wasn't taped or locked. without thought he opened it. Inside were pictures of two older boys and a man standing beside his mom. One boy had red hair the other blonde like him and Naruto. In every picture they were smiling or laughing with the blonde man and their mom. His mom was so pretty. She wasn't so angry or bitter. She didn't look scary or thin. Turning the pictures over he saw letters and words on the back. Trying to make out what it said he read, "m-my bo-bo-boys." Even if he never went to a school he did teach himself how to somewhat read. Whenever his mom threw the garbage in their room she sometimes threw letters and old newspapers. It took him a few years just to read the smaller words and numbers.

Who were her boys?

"What my boys Kyuubi? Naruto not know." Kyuubi jumped at the sound of Naruto's voice over his shoulder.

"I don't know." Kyuubi said handing Naruto the picture. He watches as Naruto narrowed his eyes and tried to make out what was on it. Kyuubi knew that Naruto would never be able to see beyond the blur no matter how much he tried, but because he didn't want Naruto to feel like he was useless he gave every thing he looked at to Naruto.

Picking up another picture, he saw the boys were older and more serious. The man and his mom was gone. Turning this one over he read "4...2...1 Ko-kon-" he frowned in concentration, "Kon-o-ha... Konoha." the rest of what it said was to complicated to understand. Konoha, he remember his mother mentioning that place. When she was drunk, she cursed that place.

"Kyuubi what Konoha?" Naruto asked moving close to try and make out the outline of Kyuubi's face. Kyuubi felt a pain in his heart as he saw the concentration cross his twin's face. It hurt to know that Naruto would never see him clearly ever again.

"It's the place the boys are." Kyuubi answered. When he heard the sound of a car pulling in he closed the box and pushed it back. Grabbing Naruto's hand he ran to their room and closed the door.

That night with the light of the moon and the soft snore of Naruto in his ear, he pulled out the two pictures that he and Naruto forgot to put back. He glanced at the faces of the 'boys'. Where these his brothers? They looked so happy. He wished he could meet them and see them. Would they love Naruto and him? Would they hate them to? Looking at his brother sleeping form he decided that they were going to meet them. Maybe they'd be nice. Maybe their mom would love them like them if Kyuubi knew how they gained her love.

The next time the door was left open and his mom and the man were asleep on the couch, Kyuubi ran to his mom's closet and grabbed some of the clothes the man kept for them in his closet. Taking some more he grabbed a bag and stuffed them in leaving a shirt for Naruto out. Moving to the kitchen he started throwing food on top of the clothes. When the small bag was full he went back to the room and grabbed Naruto.

"Naruto put this on." Kyuubi said pulling the shirt over Naruto's small frame. Tying the bottom of the shirt around Naruto's waist he, grabbed his hand. "Naruto were going to see the boys okay."

"Naruto see boys okay." Naruto nodded wrapping his other hand around Kyuubi's arm. "See boys."

"We're not coming back." Kyuubi said softly and with Naruto and the pictures in hand he left the room and then the house. He didn't know where Konoha was, but he was going to find it. No matter what he was going to save Naruto.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Na-ru-to c-c-cold, Ky-ky-uu-bi." Naruto shivered.

"It-it'll get wa-war-mer so-so-soon." Kyuubi stuttered out as he pulled Naruto closer to his body.

Tonight they were huddled in a barn on the verge of collapsing. The rain slowly falling from the hole in the roof.

Pulling the extra clothes he stole from the man, he wrapped them tighter around their small bodies and closed his eyes. They had been searching for 'the boys' for thirteen nights. Or at least he thought it was thirteen nights. The sun didn't shine anymore as the rain continued to fall. Everyday it fell and refused to stop.

For thirteen nights, Kyuubi had taken care of Naruto. Their food slowly disappeared and on the seventh day it was gone. On the ninth Kyuubi had dug through garbage to try and find anything. By the eleventh, Kyuubi and Naruto were getting better at hiding from everyone. Even if they weren't looking for them, Kyuubi didn't want to take any chances. Not with Naruto.

"Sl-sleep...Na-ru-" He said before closing his own eyes and falling alseep.

The next time he opened his eyes the rain had stopped and Naruto was gone. "Naruto?" he called standing quickly. "Naruto?"

Moving he kept calling his brother, "Naruto! Naruto please come out! Naruto!" he cried running through a hole in the wall. With fear taking over, Kyuubi kept screaming for his brother to answer him.

"Please! Naruto! Please answer me!" he begged wiping at his tears with his arm. "NARUTO!" he cried falling to his knees and crying into his hands. His heart breaking for his twin. Naruto counted on him and he let him down. He lost his brother before they could find the boys.

"Kyuubi?"

Kyuubi kept crying as he prayed to anyone that would hear him to bring back his brother.

"Kyuubi? Why cry?" Naruto frowned as he started to cry himself, the sound of his brother sobbing hurting more then the man. "Kyuubi hurt? Naruto, don't like Kyuubi crying." he whimpered reaching out one hand to slowly touch the blur that was his brother. "Naruto cry."

"Naruto!" Kyuubi said pulling him into his little arms and holding him close. "Where did you go? I woke up and you weren't there." he sniffled trying to stop crying. Rubbing a hand over Naruto's bony back he held him close.

"Naruto hear puppy." Naruto bawled into his shoulder. "Naruto find puppy. Kyuubi cry."

"I got scared. I thought you were gone forever." Kyuubi whispered, "Shhh, don't cry. It's all better now."

"Naruto make Kyuubi cry. Naruto bad. Naruto bad, need hit."

Wiping his brother's tears, Kyuubi frowned, "No, you won't get hit. No one will hit you again. We are going to find the boys and be happy like them in the picture. You're not bad, you're a good boy."

"Kyuubi better?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Yeah... Naruto where is the puppy you found?" Kyuubi asked trying to distract his brother.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled nodding his head. "Found puppy!" Getting up he turned and cupped his hands over his mouth, "PUPPY!"

He yelled three more times before Kyuubi finally saw a matted looking white dog appear out of no where.  
"Puppy!" Naruto yelled falling to his knees and holding out his hands as he waited for the puppy to jump in his arms. "Kyuubi what puppy look like?"

"Tiny." Kyuubi laughed kneeling beside Naruto to pet the dirty dog.

"Keep him?" Naruto asked narrowing his eyes. "Puppy help find 'the boys'."

With a smile Kyuubi nodded, "Yeah the puppy can come."

"Thank you!" Naruto giggled reaching out with one hand as he looked for Kyuubi's cheek. Taking his hand Kyuubi put it on his face and smiled as Naruto leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Kyuubi the best, always." Naruto smiled, his gaze though cloudy seemed to look right at Kyuubi.

"So is Naruto." Kyuubi smiled. "Come Naruto, we have to find the boys."

"Okay. Naruto come, come puppy." Naruto said holding on to Kyuubi's arm as the puppy barked happily after him.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Puppy hungry." Naruto said rubbing his own belly, "Naruto hungry."

"I know Naruto." Kyuubi sniffled rubbing a hand under his runny nose. "I'm trying to find food."

"We eat Kyuubi?"

"When we find food." Kyuubi coughed. Blinking his tired eyes he looked around. It was dark and the rain was falling again. He was cold but because of Naruto he couldn't stop until they found a good place to sleep and hide so his mom and the man wouldn't find them. They needed food. It had been two days since they last ate.

"Naruto hungry now!"

"I know!" Kyuubi yelled. When his brother flinched and took a step back, Kyuubi felt terrible. "I'm sorry Naruto, I didn't mean to yell. Forgive me?"

Nodding, Naruto said nothing as his bottom lip trembled in surpressed tears. Inside his shirt the puppy poked his little white head out and licked his cheek.

"Naruto-"  
"Naruto sorry, Naruto not hungry no more. Naruto not talk."

"Naruto, I didn't mean to-achoo!" Kyuubi sneezed before wiping at his nose. "yell, I'm hungry too, but we need to find food to eat it okay?"

"Okay. Naruto wait." the blonde nodded not looking up from the ground.

Taking his brother's hand in his own Kyuubi pulled gently to get him to follow. "Look!" he said pointing to a bridge. "We can sleep under there. It doesn't look like there's any water."

"Okay." Naruto said grasping Kyuubi's hand with both of his as they made their way below.

"It's dry and the rain's not coming in." Kyuubi said, "Stay right here while I fix us a spot."

"Okay." Naruto nodded, "What look like?"

"It's dry and there is a few stuff everywhere. I don't know what it is but I'm piling it up on one side just incase." Kyuubi said, "There's leaves and weeds. I'm going to pile them up too."

"Okay." Naruto said rubbing his tired eyes.  
"Okay Naruto come here. Just walk forward. Follow my voice." Kyuubi said holding out his tiny hand to reach Naruto's. "You and puppy stay here and I'm going to find food okay."

"Naruto stay with puppy." Naruto nodded reaching out his hands to touch the ground. Letting the puppy out of his shirt he pulled him close and laid down. "Kyuubi come back." Naruto said as he watched the blur that was his brother moving to cover him up with shirts.

"I will. Naruto go to sleep and when you wake up I'll have food." Kyuubi sniffled again as he kissed his brother's forehead, "Puppy take care of Naruto."

When the dog barked Kyuubi got up and left the bridge. Looking toward the small town they passed he made his way back. Whenever a car would go by he would duck and hide. Rubbing his hands over his arms he coughed again as he tried to stay awake. He needed to feed Naruto. Naruto was counting on him. When his foot got stuck in the mud he fell and tried to get up. His body was so tired and cold, but he had to move. He had to feed Naruto. Chanting his brother's name again and again he coughed into his hands.

"Hey kid what are you doing out in the rain?" someone yelled pulling their car over. Kyuubi turned his head and saw a white and black car with something on top. With a gasp he turned and ran into the trees. "HEY!" the man yelled as he came after him.

Running into branches and slidding on mud Kyuubi tried to get away but no matter what he did the man was always behind him. When arms came around his waist he screamed and tried to break free.  
"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." the man said in the most soothing tone Kyuubi had ever heard. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." the man went on as he held Kyuubi's arms' down. "I'm a policeman. I help people."  
"Let go!" Kyuubi yelled not wanting to be here. "Let go! I won't go back! I won't!" He screamed as he broke into another cough.

"Jesus, you're burning up." The man said taking off his jacket and putting on his weaking form. "I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?" the man said carrying him back to his car.

Kyuubi tried to answer but his mouth wouldn't open. Things were becoming fuzzy and he felt so tired. The man said something else but he didn't hear it. He was too tired to remember why he was running.

~x~  
Naruto opened his eyes and called for his brother. The rain had stopped but his brother didn't answer, "Kyuubi? Kyuubi sleeping? Naruto want you!" He called reaching out his hand. "Naruto want Kyuubi!" he yelled when he couldn't find his brother. Crawling he swept his hands over the floor. "KYUUBI!" he screamed running and tripping over things. Narrowing his eyes he tried to find his brother. "KYUUBI! Naruto scared!" he yelled and flinched as a bright light hurt his bad eyes. "Kyuubi say he come back!" He yelled falling over something and landing on his face. With tears and blood running down his face Naruto screamed for his brother to come back.

"Puppy." he whimpered when they puppy licked his face. Sitting up slowly he pulled the puppy closer and cried into his fur.

After a while he stood slowly and looked around. Kyuubi wasn't coming back for him. Kyuubi left him alone. Just like mommy said, Naruto wasn't good enough, Naruto was a bad boy and chased away Kyuubi. Naruto made Kyuubi mad and now he was gone. Naruto was alone. With renewed tears falling down his face he turned in a random direction and began to walk. "The boys not want Naruto, Kyuubi not want Naruto, no one not want Naruto." he whimpered holding the puppy close. "Naruto not want Naruto. Naruto all alone."


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

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Shikaku stood outside the hospital room that held the little boy he found only last night. At first Shikaku thought he was lost and scared but when he finally caputered the little boy he realized how small he was and how every bone in his body rubbed against his arm. When he got him to the hospital he saw how dirty he was and that his long hair was so tangled and full of lice they had to cut it off. Even washed he wasn't sure what color it was.

The boy was thin. Scars lined his body along with bruising. From the doctor he learned this little boy had suffered for a long time. He had broken bones that didn't mend right and some that where now in a cast. How he had walked with a crack in his leg, Shikaku didn't know. Hell, the little boy ran away from him with the crack in his leg.

There was signs that he was forced...

God how could someone rape a child? Just that thought brought a renewed rage all over again. If he found the man that did this, Shikaku planned to-

"Here." His fellow policeman and partner Inochi said handing him a cup of coffee. "Is his fever still high?"

"Yeah, doctors are trying all that they can to lower it. Did you find out how old he is?" Shikaku asked placing his cup on a near by tray.

"They say around seven or eight." Inochi said. "A child, only a baby, if that, treated like this. It ain't right."

"Do they know what's going to happen to him?"

"The chief said the state is going to come in. Little boy will be taken care of."  
"Not that that isn't good, but what about the bastard that did this?" Shikaku demanded angrily. He had a son around this boy's age. He was a father that loved his little boy and if anyone had done this to his child he would murder them. Shikaku would do all that he could to keep his son safe. He knew Inochi would do the same for his daughter.

"That's our job. The state will take care of this little boy and we will get the asshole." Inochi growled.

"Aren't you guys off duty?" Anko asked walking up to them with her partner Ibiki.

"Yeah." Shikaku said not looking away from the window.

"He's so tiny." Anko whispered sadly touching her hand to the glass between them. "God, he's so tiny."

Ibiki said nothing as he placed his big hands on her shoulders and rubbed them up and down. Even if he was the coldest and cruelest cop on the force he still had a heart when it came to children.

"We searched around the place you found him but we came up empty. Not much there but trees and weeds." Anko said after a while.

"Rain could have washed whatever he had away." Inochi answered.

"So we have no leads?" Shikaku asked angrily.

"Not yet. Not until he wakes up."

"You guys go home. We'll watch him and when he wakes up we'll give you a call." Ibiki commanded. Both tired cops nodded as they said their goodbyes and left.

"I'm going to see what else I can find on..." Anko nodded toward the child as she wiped her tears and left. Ibiki knew it was hard on her. Anko once had a child too, only a few days old before he disappeared and was found weeks later in a trunk. They found the woman that took the child to. She was a nut case that kept saying the baby told her to do it. It took Anko almost six years to get back to her normal life. By that time, her marriage had crumbled and she was practically living on the streets. Ibiki was her partner back then too. He took her in and tried to help her back onto her feet. When she came back to the force, she was more determined then ever to take down all of the bastards that lived in their city and find all of the children that needed them.

"Kid, wake up and tell us who did this too you." Ibiki begged quietly.

~x~

The sound of a constant beep slowly brought Kyuubi out of his sleep. He was so tired and he hurt but he felt so warm. Wanting to go back to sleep he tried to push the beeping away but it continued to annoy him. Slowly he opened his eyes. It took him three times before he could make anything out.

The first thing he saw was he was in a white room with machines on both sides of him. The next thing he saw was a man with scars on his face standing beside him. With a whimper he tried to get off the bed but the man's strong hand stopped him.

"Shhh, it's okay kid, I won't hurt you." the man gently said, his voice sounding odd to Kyuubi's ears. The man sounded like he should be yelling like his mother's friend, not being nice. "You're safe."

"Who are you?" Kyuubi asked fearfully moving as far as the man would let him. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital. I'm Ibiki. I'm a friend."

"I don't have friends." Kyuubi said looking around for his brother. Where was Naruto? Why wasn't he with him. "Naruto? Where's Naruto?" he demanded as tears begin to form. "I want my brother!" he screamed calling for Naruto.

"Brother?" Ibiki blinked reaching out to grab the kid and pulling his struggling form into his arms. "What brother?"

"Naruto, I want Naruto!" Kyuubi cried into the man's chest. "Naruto!"

"Fuck." Ibiki said as Anko came running in with Shikaku behind her. "There's another one. Another kid out there."

Shikaku nodded as he took off running down the hallway, speaking into the radio as he grabbed Inochi's arm.

"Don't worry baby." Anko said rubbing the little boys head, "We'll find him. We'll find your brother."

~x~  
It was a mile back, from where Shikaku found the first child, that they found any signs of where the child would have been. Shikaku stood under the bridge with a bag and dirty clothes at his feet.

Kneeling he moved some of the shirts and frowned as two pictures were revealed. Picking them up he noticed one had a man, a woman and two children. The other was just the two boys. From the looks of it one was taken a long time ago and the other looked like a year or two old.

"Find anything?" Inochi asked as their radios squawked.

"These." Shikaku said holding up the pictures. "Did you find the boy?"

"No yet. Dogs are still searching. Ibiki said that Kyuubi told them Naruto was special and that he couldn't see well. He has a dog or should have one. I hope we find him soon. A child their age shouldn't be out here, it's not safe."

It had taken Ibiki a while to get Kyuubi to trust him and Anko and to get that much information. Kyuubi had only opened up when Ibiki promised on his life to find Naruto.

"Konoha." Shikaku said reading the back. "Looks like we got an address. Might even have the bastard."

"It's a few towns over. Let's go." Inochi said reporting their progress.

"Yes, lets go." Shikaku answered softly as he stood. He was going to show the man what he thought of him and where the man would go when Shikaku was done with him.


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

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Naruto was cold. His bones hurt and the puppy wasn't barking any more. Instead it shivered and slept inside of Naruto's shirt. He missed Kyuubi. He wanted his brother back. He didn't want to find the boys anymore. He didn't want anything but Kyuubi.

But Kyuubi didn't want him. Kyuubi left him because Naruto wasn't a good boy. He was bad like his mommy said he was. Mommy always wanted him to die. She always said they deserved it. They deserved bad things because they ruined her. Maybe Kyuubi wanted Naruto to die. Maybe that's why he was all alone.

"Ah!" he cried out when he lost his footing. His blurred vision making it impossible to find or see anything. "Puppy?" Naruto called when the dog climbed out of his shirt and took off. He saw the blur but then it was gone. "Puppy? Puppy come back." Naruto called after the dog. Getting up he took a few steps only to fall to the ground again in pain.

With tears forming he tried again. This time he made it a bit farther before he lost his footing and slid down the dirt and into a hole. Crying with pain, Naruto stayed still and begged for Kyuubi not to hate him. He begged that Kyuubi still loved him and didn't want him to die. Naruto didn't know what die was but he knew it was bad. Maybe he deserved it... "Naruto sorry." He cried unable to move. "Naruto sorry."

~x~

Shikaku stood outside the apartment like house with Inochi right beside him. Taking a breath to calm his anger at the man behind the door, he lifted his hand and knocked. When a few minutes went by and no one came he knocked again.

Shikaku knew the man was here. The red car they had blocked in the driveway said as much. The lights in the house were on and a tv could be heard. Lifting his hand again he pounded on the door, causing it to shake.

He knew another team was looking for the other little boy. It had been a few days since he had found Kyuubi and a few more days since they started the search for Naruto. So far they were coming up empty. Every second that went by was another second that they could come closer to finding a dead child. Please, please let us find him, Shikaku begged anyone listening to his prayers.

The sound of footsteps coming toward them had both police men taking one step back to wait. They were out of their jurisdiction and so had come in civilian clothes. They weren't supposed to be here but Shikaku had convinced his chief to let him come.

"Yeah?" a teenage boy with red hair and piercings answered the door.  
"Is your father home?" Inochi asked.

"What's it to you?" The teenager asked lifting his brow defiantly. Shikaku recognized him from the picture. He had to be at least eighteen give or take a year. Shikaku knew from the pictures they were teenagers but because the back of the photo's had said 'My boys' that was what stuck.

"It's important." Inochi went on.

"How important? So important that I have to wake up my dad after a long day of work important?" The red head asked narrowing his eyes in annoyance. "Unless it's life or death, come back anoth-"

"It is." Shikaku cut the teen off. "Depending on your move, a child could live or die tonight."

"Wh-what?" The teen blinked in shock.

"We need to speak to Minato." Shikaku ordered.

"What's going on?" someone called from inside. "I swear Pain, if it's another one of your gang banging, fucked up, drug selling friends you're out of here."

"It's not." the teen answered. "It's two guys looking for you."

"Who are you?" Minato asked coming into view. Shikaku was kind of surprised by the look of the man. He looked no older then thirty. Certainly not old enough to have fathered two teenage sons and two younger boys. Kyuubi was a splitting image of the man and if what Kyuubi said was true, so was Naruto.

"I'm Shikaku Nara and this is Inochi Yamanaka." Shikaku said taking the lead. He wanted so badly to punch the man. What kind of sick man would treat children like he did? Abuse them and then go on as if nothing happened. Didn't he care that his sons were missing? Or did he hope that they would die out there?

"We're policemen from Leaf Valley." Inochi went on, noticing Shikaku's change of attitude. Pulling out his badge he showed it to Minato. "Can we come in?"

"Shit dad, your in trouble with the po po. That's rich." Pain laughed at his father's confusion. "Wait til bro finds out."

"What do you want?" Minato asked stepping around Pain to block the doorway.

"We have some questions." Inochi said. "It's best to talk in private."

"What have I done to get the law on my ass?" Minato demanded.  
"That is what we are here to discuss." Shikaku bit out. After a stare down between the two, Minato moved aside and gestured for them to go in. Following Pain to the living room, the two stood beside the window as Minato and his son took a spot on the couch.

"So what did my old man do?" the piereced teen asked earning a glare from his father.

"Do you recognize these pictures?" Inochi asked handing them over.

"Yes." Minato frowned in confusion, "How did you get them?"

"Name everyone in the pictures please." Shikaku ordered.

"Why?" Pain asked taking the pictures.

"Please, it's important." Inochi went on. Although he wasn't sure why Shikaku was asking for the names. He tried to figure out what game his partner was playing but came up empty.

"Me, my ex wife, and my sons." Minato answered.

"Names." Shikaku said again.

"Minato Namikaze," Pain said feeling more annoyed and confused then ever, "Kushina Uzumaki, Pain, er Yahiko Namikaze, and Nagato Namikaze. As you can see I was the blonde but I died my hair." Pain shrugged.

"Does Kushina live near here?" Shikaku asked as Inochi began to take notes.

"No, mom lives in Whirlpool. We, my brother and me, send her pics of us so we don't really have to go see her. She's kind of lost it when her parents died and well, she's nuts."

"Pain." Minato turned toward his son.

"What? It's true. She divorced dad because-"  
"That doesn't really matter." Minato went on. "For a child that grew up with the friends you have, you give a lot of information."

"It's stuff everyone already knows." Pain went on. "What's the point in pretending it doesn't exist?"

"Do you have an address for your mother?" Shikaku asked stopping the growing fight between father and son.

"Yeah," Pain nodded toward the pen and notebook Inochi had. Taking it when it was handed over, he scribbled the information they needed and gave it back. "That should still be it. Unless she moved, then you're shit out of luck."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Minato asked showing his frustration.

"Do you know two people by the names of Kyuubi and Naruto?" Shikaku asked. If Minato said yes, he'd beat the hell out of him. If he said no, Shikaku would still beat the hell out of him. He had asked for the names simply to add in Naruto's and Kyuubi's. He had hopped one or the other would have said 'but two are missing', yet neither seemed inclined to. What game where they playing? Did Pain and Nagato also use the boys for their disgusting games?

"Who?" Minato frowned in confusion. "Pain do you know them?"

"Don't look at me dad, I have no idea who he's talking about." Pain said when the front door opened. "Nagato, man do you know a Kyuubi and a Nar, what was the name again?"

"Naruto." Inochi supplied feeling like he was back to square one. Their confusion clearly showed they knew nothing. Did Minato even know he had two other kids?

"No." Nagato answered quietly as he appeared. His natural red hair falling over half his sickly thin face. Over one arm was a book bag showing them that he had just come from school.

"Who are they?" Minato asked when the two policemen stood.

"When did you and your wife divorce?" Inochi asked.

"About eight years ago." Minato answered. So Kushina never told him then. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Shikaku turned to face the man. He knew he shouldn't but he knew he had to. Minato wasn't at fault. Minato knew nothing of the twins, which would put the blame on Kushina. "Go to the hospital in Leaf Valley. All three of you. Ask to speak to a man named Ibiki Morino. Tell whoever you ask he's a policeman. Tell him Shikaku sent you." Turning away from the three, Shikaku followed Inochi to their car and pulled out his phone. Dialing a number he waited until someone answered, "Aburame." the man answered.

"Have you found Naruto?" Shikaku asked.

"No, his trail is still cold. Tsume has her dogs scouting the area."

"Call me if anything pops up." Shikaku said and hung up. Dialing another number he waited and then said, "Kushina Uzumaki. She lives in Whirlpool, address is..."

~x~

Minato pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car with his two sons. All three had driven in silence, each wanting to voice a question but knowing nothing would come of it. What did Shikaku want with them here?

"Can I help you?" a receptionist asked pleasently.

"We're looking for Ibiki Morino." Minato said stepping in front of his sons. "He's a policeman in here."

"Policeman?" The woman frowned and picked up the phone. After a few minutes she told them to wait and he'd come to them.

After five minutes, the elevator opened revealing a scared man in a uniform. Spotting him, the three stood up and walked toward him. "Ibiki Morino?" Minato asked feeling confused by the look of shock on the man's face. "Shikaku sent me here to find you."

"Did he now." the man muttered before nodding toward the elevator. "Looks just like a clone."

"Excuse me?" Minato frowned.

"Kyuubi, he looks like you." Ibiki asked.

"Who's Kyuubi?" Pain asked the man. "Everyone keeps saying his name and another but-"

"Gut feeling here, but I'm more then positive that Kyuubi and Naruto are both your sons." Ibiki said meeting Minato's stunned gaze.

"My what?"

"His what?" The teenagers asked in shock.

~x~

Naruto shivered at the cold and the dark taking the sun away. His eyes were tired and his leg was feeling funny. He tried moving it but it didn't want to move. His body didn't want to move. It just wanted to stay still. "Naruto tired." he said trying to focus on the fading light. "Tired, Kyuubi, Naruto love Kyuubi." he whispered softly, closing his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

Kushina stared in shock at the empty room filled with nothing but garbage. With a hand over her mouth, she made her way slowly around the piles of piss, shit, and rotting food. With a shake of her head she slowly spun around hoping what she was seeing was wrong.

"Shit," She whispered as she ran a bony hand through her hair. Bitting her thumb she continued to spin.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"They're gone," Kushina answered as she turned to face her husband, Danzo. The man was old enough to be her father two times over. It was really a drunken state that caused the marriage between the two and when Kushina was sober enough to realize what she had done, she didn't really care. The man took care of her and gave her what she wanted and in return she let him have the two boys as his toys. She didn't really want them. Not when it was their fault that her parents had died. The day she told her mother she was pregnant, her mother had cried in joy and declared her and her father were going to come right over. That day they got in an accident and the next time she saw her parents was in a casket. So at eight weeks into her pregnancy, Kushina had lowered her parents into the ground as her hate grew. At three months, she grew tired of Minato telling her it would be okay and they'd get their lives together again. Not long after she divorced Minato and took off. She missed her boys and wished they were with her but the state had deemed she wasn't good enough to get them. Instead she had to watch as Minato watched over her boys as she gave birth to two unwanted mistakes. Because of Minato her boys hated her.

It was the mistakes fault and Minato's that she lost her parents and their fault that her life was the way it was. How she hated them. If she could have killed the mistakes when they were born she would have. But fate got in the way and she met Danzo a few days after and she saw the new light. At first they simply lived together and he took care of them but then, when they were old enough, he began to play with them. Kushina thought it was disgusting but since he was giving her a new life, she let it go on when she felt like it. If he pissed her off, she threatened him and sent him away until he gave her what she wanted.

"What do you mean gone?" Danzo hissed as he looked around the cage that they had made for them.

"They're not in here damn it!" Kushina shouted. If the police found them... "Shit, shit, shit. If the cops... Fuck!"

"How did you let them get away!" Danzo yelled as his eyes blazed with hatred.

"Me? You fucker! They are your bastards! You were supposed to keep them! I never agreed to keeping them! I never wanted them! If the police come looking, they're going to come for you, you son of a bitch!" Kushina yelled just as angry. "I'm getting the fuck out of here, I don't care what you do."

"You are going to help-"

"I'm not helping with shit," Kushina glared. "You are on your own. You wanted them, you go and get them. Keep them. I don't give a fuck. I'm out."

"You stupid bitch! I gave you the-"

"Life I have?" Kushina laughed cruely as she pushed passed him, "Listen old man, this life is no better then my last one. Do whatever the hell you want, I'm gone."

"You are my wife!"

"And how many times have we fucked? Once? Twice? And how many times have you fucked them? More then we ever did and more then what is natural for a man your age to get it up." Kushina laughed cruely. "Do whatever the fuck you want."

Before Danzo could stop her, she packed her things as quickly as she could and hightailed it out of there.

Not long after, Danzo packed a few things and left too. But where his young wife left to hide, he left to find his angels.

~x~

Fugaku turned to his partner Hizashi as the man doubled check the address. The long haired man frowned as he looked up again and turned to face him. With a nod, he opened the door and got out.

Fugaku followed his lead and met him at the front of the car. "Can this even be anyone's home?" he asked.  
"I would have assumed it was abandon." Hizashi said looking around. Fugaku did a quick scan of the place again. This place wasn't made for anyone. It may have at one time been beautiful but now it was on the verge of collapsing. The yard was overgrown. The garage was half gone. The paint was peeling and the windows were boarded up from the inside. The porch was missing boards every few steps. "Maybe the boy wrote the address wrong?"

"Let's see." Fugaku said and lead the way. Finding a trail of sorts, he made his way toward the door. On the porch he had to grab onto Hizashi arm when a board gave in under him.

"You okay?"

"Peachy." Fugaku nodded as he knocked on the door. With just a tap, the door slowly swung open. "Well it looks livable." he added when he saw how nicely decorated it was within.

"It's like a portal to another world," Hizashi added and then called out a 'hello'. When no one answered, Fugaku walked in. If these people could abuse children for seven years, he could enter any damn time he pleased. If any of them where home, he'd take them down in the most painful way possible and take them in. He'd make the ride to the station the worst one possible. Hell would be Heaven when he was done with them.

He had two boys and the thought of them going through this, pissed him the hell off. He saw red each time he thought of it.

When he and Hizashi had been assigned to aid in this case, he had read the file over many times. Each time hoping something was typed wrong or a joke. When he realized what he'd be getting into, Fugaku had clocked out at the end of the night, went home, and simply hugged his boys for a few hours. He ignored his wife's questioning looks and his sons confusion. Finally he let them go and sent them to bed. In his own room he had cried into his hands for two boys that were given the short end of the stick. Mikoto had looked at him with worry as she held his shaking form in her arms and tried to sooth him. He went to bed with his wife's soothing words in his ear.

Hizashi had said very little on the case, but Fugaku had caught him blinking back his own tears as he read the same file on his own desk.

"Let's split up, you get the left side, I'll get the right." Hizashi said with his hand on his holster. With a quick sweep of the house, both met up in an empty hallway that resembled the outside appearance. "One last door."

With a few steps, Fugaku put his hand on the knob and pushed it open. It caught on something but with a harder pushed, it swung open. With a curse, both men covered their noses and blinked away the tears the smell had created. Pulling the collar of his uniform over his nose, Fugaku turned to look back inside and gasped. The place was covered in garbage and smelt like an outhouse mixed with a dump. To one side he saw a small indent that looked like it had been made into a bed. All around the room, against the walls, were bars.

"Radio a team in." Fugaku said turning away from the sight of the room. "Get a warrent to search this place. I'm sure if we begin looking, we'll find more."

Nodding, Hizashi turned away from the room and pulled out his radio. "This is Officer Hizashi Hyuuga..."

~x~  
"My sons?" Minato blinked, "I think you're mistaking me for someone else. I only have two-"

"Plus two more." Ibiki said with a straight face. "Two seven year olds, one that's here in the hospital and one that's missing."

"Dad?" Nagato said looking from his father's shocked face to the police man.

"We can do a DNA test but that is highly unnecessary being on how they are like your mini clones." Ibiki went on. "Normally we're not supposed to let in people with our charges but I'm sure if you came in claiming fatherhood to the boy, they'd let you in. So we'll say you did that and we have to comply or risk lawsuits."

"How?" Minato asked blankly.

"Kushina was pregnant when she left you. At least it fits the story line. I'm guessing she never told you about them," he added looking at Pain and Nagato. "What we got so far is from Kyuubi's own version."

"Kyuubi, he's the one in here, right?" Minato whispered looking toward a door that had two policemen guarding it.

"Yes and Naruto is still out there. We have half the force trying to find the boy but where not having much luck." Ibiki sighed as he ran a hand over his head.  
"Ibiki?" Another officer called before Minato could question them more about his sons he knew nothing about.

"Anko, this is Minato Namikaze and his two boys, Pain and Nagato."

"What are they doing here?" Anko asked running a critical eye over them.

"They came to see Kyuubi-"

"That can't happen. Until we-"

"Anko, this is the boy's father. He has all rights to see his son." Ibiki cut her off. With a hand on her shoulder he stirred her away to speak to her privately. Over his shoulder he nodded for Minato to head to the room.

With slow even steps, Minato made his way slowly toward the guarded door. Taking a small breath, he reached for the knob and stopped moving. Was this all one big fib? A story made up because he looked like the boy? They did mention Kushina though. They came looking for him... He wouldn't know until he opened the door. Turning to look at his two sons behind him, Minato turned the knob and made his way into the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

In the room was a tiny child sleeping in the center of the giant bed. His little hands were curled by his side as he slept with a pillow holding his head up and a thin blanket to his waist. But the child's face froze him in the doorway. There was no doubt about it, this little boy was his son. Even if he was so thin, Minato couldn't deny the facts.

Minato had thought that Nagato and Pain looked like him as children but they had nothing on this little boy. He looked exactly like Minato did at his age. He even knew without a doubt that this little boy would have blonde hair if it wasn't shaved off and his eyes would be blue.

"Dad?" Pain called from behind him. With a jump, Minato moved farther into the room and allowed his sons to follow. Ignoring their intakes of breaths, he made his way to the child's side. With one hand, he reached out to touch the thin face before he stopped himself and retracted his hand. How could Kushina had kept them from him? How could she have told him nothing about them? He missed seven years of his babies lives and for those seven years, they had suffered. Everything Ibiki told him came back full force. It struck him so hard he almost fell.

Pulling a seat closer to the sleeping child, Minato sat down and continued to gaze at him. This was Kyuubi, his baby boy, but where was Naruto? Where was the other child?  
"Dad," Nagato said moving to his side. "Mom did this, didn't she?"

"Yeah." Minato nodded. In that moment he hated Kushina more then he ever hated anyone in his life. She was his childhood sweet heart. They got engaged in highschool and married in college. They had two boys together and lived half their life together before she left him. Even for those eight years that she was gone, he loved her, but now... Now he would like nothing more then to make her pay, make her suffer, make her regret everything that she had ever done to this tiny body in front of him. In this moment he would like nothing more then to see Kushina, and the bastard that helped her hurt his sons, dead at his feet.

~x~

"Anything?" Kakashi heard over the radio in his ear.

"None yet," he answered Tsume. Like the head tracker, Kakashi was combing the woods for the child that had been missing for a few weeks now. He and his eight dogs had one side of the woods and Tsume and her dogs had the other half.

"Copy that," he heard the woman growl in frustration.

Kakashi felt her frustation as his own. Both teams had been searching nonstop for days and nights since Kyuubi had spoken about his brother. Kakashi didn't have kids of his own, but like all the others on this case, he had felt the pain of finding out Kyuubi's and Naruto's past. He knew the world wasn't perfect. That there were bad people out there. He wasn't stupid, blind, deaf to the crimes of the world. Kakashi had even been sent out of town and even across the country to use his dogs to find people. But this case hit hard. Two boys raped and abused probably since the day they were born. One of them beaten to the point of being reduced to a simple mindset while the other tried and failed to protect him. He knew Kyuubi was in good hands at the hospital but Naruto... He couldn't lose the kid he had yet to meet. Naruto had suffered too long to be left to die alone out here. He wouldn't give up on the boy until he was found. He wouldn't take on another case until he knew for sure what happened to Naruto. He prayed that Naruto was alive and safe, but knew the boy could possibly already be dead. If he found a body... he didn't want to think about that. "Heading farther in," he radio Tsume before sending his dogs in another direction.

His dogs were good. They were eight of the best trackers aside from Tsume's dog, and yet they couldn't find a trace. The rain was a big problem, coming and going every hour to the point that Kakashi could see his own breath. If he was having problems surviving this, how was Naruto doing?

With his eyes moving slowly over the woods, Kakasi saw the moment that Shiba seemed to find something. The dog immediatly went on the alert and gave a bark. "Tsume, I think I've got something!" Kakashi said quickly, he and the other dogs began to track Shiba as he began to make his way quickly over fallen trees.

"On my way." Tsume answered.

"Come on boy," Kakashi whispered to Shiba. For ten more minutes, the dog made his way from tree to tree, never vearing off of his path. "Find him."

Another five minutes went by before Shiba stopped completely. Moving to the dog's side, Kaskashi gently pushed the other dogs away to see what Shiba had found. Shivering underneath a tree was a tiny puppy.

"Tsume," Kakashi called.

"Have you found him?" Tsume said quickly.

"No, but Shiba found Akamaru." Kakashi sighed and ran a tired hand down his face.

"Akamaru? You found him?" Tsume said sounding surprised.

"Yes ma'ma," Kakashi answered as he reached for the dog, "I'll get him and take him- Hey!" he shouted as Akamaru took off running.

"Kakashi?"

"He took off and I'm giving pursuit." Kakashi answered as he ran after the dogs. If Tsume said anything else, Kakashi wasn't sure. He was too concentrated on the way his dogs were acting. Each of them were on full alert and running in one destination, after Akamaru. Wherever the little dog was leading them, he was intent on getting them there as fast as he could.

Not wanting to be left behind, Kakashi picked up his speed and kept the dogs in view. When each of them came to a stop, Kakashi knew the search was over. Moving quickly, he looked down the hill all of the dogs were gathered around. "Tsume," he said quickly as the tiny body layed within unmoving, "I found him! We need a medic!" he yelled as he tried to find a way down. "Please be alive." he begged. Please don't be dead.

~x~

Kyuubi groaned quietly as he rubbed sleep from his eyes and looked around. With a soft gasp he looked closely at the three people sleeping in his room. One man was in the chair next to his and two others were sleeping with their backs against the wall as they sat on the floor. Looking closely he realized who they were, "The boys," he gasped softly and then began to cry.


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

At the sound of sobbing, Minato opened tired eyes to find the little boy crying into his hands. Sitting up, he slowly reached out a hand and gently touched the little boy's shoulder.

"Please don't cry," he whispered to the crying child.

"I want Naruto." Kyuubi sobbed, waking the two teens from the floor. "I want my brother!"

"They're looking for him." Minato told him. He was unsure of what to do. Should he pull him into his arms and tell him everything was going to be okay? How would he know if that was true? Anything could happen and it hurt to know that just when he found two more sons, he might lose one of them.

"Are they going to find him?" Kyuubi asked turning toward him, his tears still falling. "I can't protect him if he's not here."

"You don't have to protect him," Minato whispered, "I'll protect both of you."

"No you won't." Kyuubi said turning to look at Nagato and Pain and then back to Minato.

"Why won't I?"

"Because no one protected us before."

~x~

"Kakashi?" someone shouted from a distance away.

"Down here! Hurry up!" Kakashi shouted back. "Hang on Naruto," he said to Naruto's unconscious form. "Don't give up on me yet." Naruto's lips were a light blue and his breathing was faint. Drapping his jacket over the little boy, Kakashi ordered his dogs to bark for the others to find them. He wanted to pick Naruto up and run to them, but he feared that any movement on his part could hurt the child more. Blowing on his hands and rubbing them together, he gently touched Naruto's pale skin to try and warm him up before doing it again.

"We're coming down Kakashi," someone shouted from above.

"Hurry up damn it!" Kakashi screamed, "Just a little longer. Only a little longer Naruto. Kyuubi's waiting for you."

"Move," Rin ordered as she pushed him aside and began gently looking Naruto over. First she flashed a tiny light in his eyes and then moved her head to check his breathing. "Hand me the neck brace and get the stretcher ready." she ordered another medic. "On three. One, two, three."

Kakashi stood back as he let the others get to work on Naruto. He watched as Rin put an oxygen mask on him and pulled the jacket tighter over his body before placing a thin blanket. He watched the other medic strap Naruto in and then moved to help them when they made to move Naruto out.

"Slow and easy." Rin ordered as she took her place by Naruto's head. "Kakashi shut your dogs up."

With a low whistle, the dogs went quiet.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto was being raced down the road and toward his brother and waiting family.

~x~

"He'll make it," Tsume said sounding convincing as they loaded her dogs up in the car. With Akamaru in her arms she turned to Kakashi, "I won't have it any other way. I won't have a child with such a bad start die."

"We have no control over it now," Kakashi said wishing he could believe her. "It's up to them now."

"It doesn't matter. I have fate that he'll survive." the woman said, "I'm going home to kiss my children and tell them I love them. I'm going to give Akamaru a bath and then I'm going to go in my room to cry and pray that my words reach God's ear."

~x~

Tsuande waited by the front doors for the ambulance to appear. Every second wasted seemed like another nail driven into her chest. Biting her thumb she tried to calm her beating heart.

"There!" Shizune shouted when the ambulance came into view.

"Be ready!" Tsuande ordered and ran to the people jumping out of the back. In seconds, that seemed like hours, Tsuande had Naruto in the emergency room and set to work with help from Rin and Shizune. "Don't die." she begged silently to the bony child.

~x~

"I know." Minato whispered with tears forming. "But I'll be there now. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Not me," Kyuubi said wiping at his eyes, "Naruto. Can you bring me back my brother?"

"I'll try." Minato promised.

"He wanted to see the boys. He wanted to see them too." Kyuubi said as new tears appeared. "I told him we'll be okay when we see the boys and that the boys will take care of us. It's my fault he's gone. It's all my fault!"

"No," Pain said moving to the bed. God, knowning this child was his brother and that he and his twin had tried to find him and Nagato... Now the pictures made sense. Now he knew why Shikaku was so insistant on those pictures. "Not your fault. Naruto and you are going to be taken care of now. We won't let anything happen to you guys. Me and Nagato will keep you safe. That's what big brothers do."

"I'm Naruto's big brother," Kyuubi got out. "I take care of him because the man hurt him. Now I take care of him."

"That man, if I see him, I hurt the man back." Pain promised. "I'll make him suffer for hurting you and that's my promise to you and Naruto."

"They found him!" Anko shouted as she threw open the door. "They found him!"

~x~

Danzo stood in silence as he watched the news. On it a man was telling the world the horror story of two young boys and their run for survival. He was telling how one was going to be okay while the other was in critical condition. He heard the man saying how they were now in the care of their biological father that knew nothing of them before this and how they were searching for their missing mother and a man.

Flicking the tv off, he turned his gaze to the mirror. They had no idea who he was or where he was. But Danzo now knew where his angels were and he was going to find them. He wasn't sure which one was okay and which one was close to death, but he planned to get one or both. They were given to him by God, himself, to love and cherish to his heart content. And that is what he would do. "Daddy is coming angels."


	9. Chapter 9

**1**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Kyuubi fine?" Naruto whispered moving across the cage to sit next to Kyuubi.

"I'm fine Naruto." Kyuubi flinched but hoped Naruto didn't see it in the dark. He hurt so much. It always hurt. Why was his mother so cruel to them? Why did she hate them so much? Every time she saw them she hurt them. She starved them and when it was cold, she left the window, in their room surrounded by bars, open and them completely naked with only the grubby pair of shorts that they always wore.

Every day for the seven years Kyuubi and his twin, Naruto, had been alive they were afraid. Kyuubi only knew they were seven because she would always curse them. Every year that went by another number was added on.

And when she was with that man it was worse. She let that man hurt them and do things to them that hurt. He made Naruto the way he was now. Naruto couldn't talk right anymore, he couldn't see right. He couldn't do anything right anymore. His mind no longer worked like Kyuubi's. Kyuubi was his only protection against them. Kyuubi tried so hard to keep his brother safe but it wasn't always enough. Naruto now had six scars lining his face to prove Kyuubi had failed.

Why did she hate them?

"Kyuubi hurt?" Naruto asked reaching out his hand to try and find Kyuubi's face. Kyuubi used his slightly sore right arm to grab Naruto's hand to touch his face.

"I'm fine Naruto." he said again tucking Naruto's shivering body close to his own. All they wanted was some food. Kyuubi should have known better then to try and ask for some. Shifting his body, so that Naruto's bony ribs weren't rubbing against his own, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain in his left arm and hand. Already he was trying to forget tonight's attack. He tried to forget about the board and the rope. He didn't want to think about what the man did, but it wouldn't go away.

"Kyuubi hurt?" Naruto asked again wrapping his skinny arms around Kyuubi's waist. "Naruto hurt Kyuubi."

"No Naruto!" Kyuubi denied angrily. "You didn't do anything." Kyuubi felt the small tears land on his chest. "Don't cry Naruto. Don't cry. Tomorrow will be better." but it never was. Every day that would come would always be the same. They would always be given to the man. Kyuubi knew it was bad what the man did, his mother had called the man all kinds of foul names telling him he'd go to hell. But the man didn't care, he only wanted them and his mom always gave him them.

It was some time later that they both fell asleep on the cold cement floor.

The next morning their cage was opened and his mother stood there with a tray of rotting food in her hands. With a drunken sneer she threw the tray at them, covering them in food. "Eat up you disgusting animals."

Kyuubi wiped the food off of Naruto then himself. Digging through the pile, he tried to find anything that looked more edible. He grimanced as his hand went through the mush and rotting food. With a sigh he pulled the green and black thing away from Naruto's hand, stopping him before he could put it in his mouth. He knew food wasn't supposed to look like this. He saw the food his mom and the man ate and it didn't look like this. "Naruto stop it's not good."

"Naruto hungry." Naruto whined but did as Kyuubi told him.

Kyuubi looked around tiredly trying to figure out what to feed Naruto. When he looked toward the door he blinked. It was open. The door was open. "Naruto wait here." he said quietly and made his way to the door. Once there he slowly opened it and peeked out. Not hearing his mother or the man he walked out of the room. Knowing where the kitchen was he tiptoed toward the right. Listening for any sound he opened the fridge and pulled out a few pieces of fruit and cheese. He didn't want them to know he was in here. It was best if they didn't know.

And so over the next few weeks Kyuubi always checked to see if the door was open. A few times he got lucky. Sometimes he even left twice as he looked around the house. Which is how he ended up in his mother's closet with Naruto sitting beside his mother's bed.

"Kyuubi she mad. Naruto know she mad." Naruto said in a fearful voice clutching his little legs to his chest.

"Shhh Naruto, it's okay they're not here, remember?" Kyuubi reminded him as he dug in one of the boxes that was pushed to the back. It was the only one that looked well used and wasn't taped or locked. without thought he opened it. Inside were pictures of two older boys and a man standing beside his mom. One boy had red hair the other blonde like him and Naruto. In every picture they were smiling or laughing with the blonde man and their mom. His mom was so pretty. She wasn't so angry or bitter. She didn't look scary or thin. Turning the pictures over he saw letters and words on the back. Trying to make out what it said he read, "m-my bo-bo-boys." Even if he never went to a school he did teach himself how to somewhat read. Whenever his mom threw the garbage in their room she sometimes threw letters and old newspapers. It took him a few years just to read the smaller words and numbers.

Who were her boys?

"What my boys Kyuubi? Naruto not know." Kyuubi jumped at the sound of Naruto's voice over his shoulder.

"I don't know." Kyuubi said handing Naruto the picture. He watches as Naruto narrowed his eyes and tried to make out what was on it. Kyuubi knew that Naruto would never be able to see beyond the blur no matter how much he tried, but because he didn't want Naruto to feel like he was useless he gave every thing he looked at to Naruto.

Picking up another picture, he saw the boys were older and more serious. The man and his mom was gone. Turning this one over he read "4...2...1 Ko-kon-" he frowned in concentration, "Kon-o-ha... Konoha." the rest of what it said was to complicated to understand. Konoha, he remember his mother mentioning that place. When she was drunk, she cursed that place.

"Kyuubi what Konoha?" Naruto asked moving close to try and make out the outline of Kyuubi's face. Kyuubi felt a pain in his heart as he saw the concentration cross his twin's face. It hurt to know that Naruto would never see him clearly ever again.

"It's the place the boys are." Kyuubi answered. When he heard the sound of a car pulling in he closed the box and pushed it back. Grabbing Naruto's hand he ran to their room and closed the door.

That night with the light of the moon and the soft snore of Naruto in his ear, he pulled out the two pictures that he and Naruto forgot to put back. He glanced at the faces of the 'boys'. Where these his brothers? They looked so happy. He wished he could meet them and see them. Would they love Naruto and him? Would they hate them to? Looking at his brother sleeping form he decided that they were going to meet them. Maybe they'd be nice. Maybe their mom would love them like them if Kyuubi knew how they gained her love.

The next time the door was left open and his mom and the man were asleep on the couch, Kyuubi ran to his mom's closet and grabbed some of the clothes the man kept for them in his closet. Taking some more he grabbed a bag and stuffed them in leaving a shirt for Naruto out. Moving to the kitchen he started throwing food on top of the clothes. When the small bag was full he went back to the room and grabbed Naruto.

"Naruto put this on." Kyuubi said pulling the shirt over Naruto's small frame. Tying the bottom of the shirt around Naruto's waist he, grabbed his hand. "Naruto were going to see the boys okay."

"Naruto see boys okay." Naruto nodded wrapping his other hand around Kyuubi's arm. "See boys."

"We're not coming back." Kyuubi said softly and with Naruto and the pictures in hand he left the room and then the house. He didn't know where Konoha was, but he was going to find it. No matter what he was going to save Naruto.

**2**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Na-ru-to c-c-cold, Ky-ky-uu-bi." Naruto shivered.

"It-it'll get wa-war-mer so-so-soon." Kyuubi stuttered out as he pulled Naruto closer to his body.

Tonight they were huddled in a barn on the verge of collapsing. The rain slowly falling from the hole in the roof.

Pulling the extra clothes he stole from the man, he wrapped them tighter around their small bodies and closed his eyes. They had been searching for 'the boys' for thirteen nights. Or at least he thought it was thirteen nights. The sun didn't shine anymore as the rain continued to fall. Everyday it fell and refused to stop.

For thirteen nights, Kyuubi had taken care of Naruto. Their food slowly disappeared and on the seventh day it was gone. On the ninth Kyuubi had dug through garbage to try and find anything. By the eleventh, Kyuubi and Naruto were getting better at hiding from everyone. Even if they weren't looking for them, Kyuubi didn't want to take any chances. Not with Naruto.

"Sl-sleep...Na-ru-" He said before closing his own eyes and falling alseep.

The next time he opened his eyes the rain had stopped and Naruto was gone. "Naruto?" he called standing quickly. "Naruto?"

Moving he kept calling his brother, "Naruto! Naruto please come out! Naruto!" he cried running through a hole in the wall. With fear taking over, Kyuubi kept screaming for his brother to answer him.

"Please! Naruto! Please answer me!" he begged wiping at his tears with his arm. "NARUTO!" he cried falling to his knees and crying into his hands. His heart breaking for his twin. Naruto counted on him and he let him down. He lost his brother before they could find the boys.

"Kyuubi?"

Kyuubi kept crying as he prayed to anyone that would hear him to bring back his brother.

"Kyuubi? Why cry?" Naruto frowned as he started to cry himself, the sound of his brother sobbing hurting more then the man. "Kyuubi hurt? Naruto, don't like Kyuubi crying." he whimpered reaching out one hand to slowly touch the blur that was his brother. "Naruto cry."

"Naruto!" Kyuubi said pulling him into his little arms and holding him close. "Where did you go? I woke up and you weren't there." he sniffled trying to stop crying. Rubbing a hand over Naruto's bony back he held him close.

"Naruto hear puppy." Naruto bawled into his shoulder. "Naruto find puppy. Kyuubi cry."

"I got scared. I thought you were gone forever." Kyuubi whispered, "Shhh, don't cry. It's all better now."

"Naruto make Kyuubi cry. Naruto bad. Naruto bad, need hit."

Wiping his brother's tears, Kyuubi frowned, "No, you won't get hit. No one will hit you again. We are going to find the boys and be happy like them in the picture. You're not bad, you're a good boy."

"Kyuubi better?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Yeah... Naruto where is the puppy you found?" Kyuubi asked trying to distract his brother.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled nodding his head. "Found puppy!" Getting up he turned and cupped his hands over his mouth, "PUPPY!"

He yelled three more times before Kyuubi finally saw a matted looking white dog appear out of no where.  
"Puppy!" Naruto yelled falling to his knees and holding out his hands as he waited for the puppy to jump in his arms. "Kyuubi what puppy look like?"

"Tiny." Kyuubi laughed kneeling beside Naruto to pet the dirty dog.

"Keep him?" Naruto asked narrowing his eyes. "Puppy help find 'the boys'."

With a smile Kyuubi nodded, "Yeah the puppy can come."

"Thank you!" Naruto giggled reaching out with one hand as he looked for Kyuubi's cheek. Taking his hand Kyuubi put it on his face and smiled as Naruto leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Kyuubi the best, always." Naruto smiled, his gaze though cloudy seemed to look right at Kyuubi.

"So is Naruto." Kyuubi smiled. "Come Naruto, we have to find the boys."

"Okay. Naruto come, come puppy." Naruto said holding on to Kyuubi's arm as the puppy barked happily after him.

**3**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Puppy hungry." Naruto said rubbing his own belly, "Naruto hungry."

"I know Naruto." Kyuubi sniffled rubbing a hand under his runny nose. "I'm trying to find food."

"We eat Kyuubi?"

"When we find food." Kyuubi coughed. Blinking his tired eyes he looked around. It was dark and the rain was falling again. He was cold but because of Naruto he couldn't stop until they found a good place to sleep and hide so his mom and the man wouldn't find them. They needed food. It had been two days since they last ate.

"Naruto hungry now!"

"I know!" Kyuubi yelled. When his brother flinched and took a step back, Kyuubi felt terrible. "I'm sorry Naruto, I didn't mean to yell. Forgive me?"

Nodding, Naruto said nothing as his bottom lip trembled in surpressed tears. Inside his shirt the puppy poked his little white head out and licked his cheek.

"Naruto-"  
"Naruto sorry, Naruto not hungry no more. Naruto not talk."

"Naruto, I didn't mean to-achoo!" Kyuubi sneezed before wiping at his nose. "yell, I'm hungry too, but we need to find food to eat it okay?"

"Okay. Naruto wait." the blonde nodded not looking up from the ground.

Taking his brother's hand in his own Kyuubi pulled gently to get him to follow. "Look!" he said pointing to a bridge. "We can sleep under there. It doesn't look like there's any water."

"Okay." Naruto said grasping Kyuubi's hand with both of his as they made their way below.

"It's dry and the rain's not coming in." Kyuubi said, "Stay right here while I fix us a spot."

"Okay." Naruto nodded, "What look like?"

"It's dry and there is a few stuff everywhere. I don't know what it is but I'm piling it up on one side just incase." Kyuubi said, "There's leaves and weeds. I'm going to pile them up too."

"Okay." Naruto said rubbing his tired eyes.  
"Okay Naruto come here. Just walk forward. Follow my voice." Kyuubi said holding out his tiny hand to reach Naruto's. "You and puppy stay here and I'm going to find food okay."

"Naruto stay with puppy." Naruto nodded reaching out his hands to touch the ground. Letting the puppy out of his shirt he pulled him close and laid down. "Kyuubi come back." Naruto said as he watched the blur that was his brother moving to cover him up with shirts.

"I will. Naruto go to sleep and when you wake up I'll have food." Kyuubi sniffled again as he kissed his brother's forehead, "Puppy take care of Naruto."

When the dog barked Kyuubi got up and left the bridge. Looking toward the small town they passed he made his way back. Whenever a car would go by he would duck and hide. Rubbing his hands over his arms he coughed again as he tried to stay awake. He needed to feed Naruto. Naruto was counting on him. When his foot got stuck in the mud he fell and tried to get up. His body was so tired and cold, but he had to move. He had to feed Naruto. Chanting his brother's name again and again he coughed into his hands.

"Hey kid what are you doing out in the rain?" someone yelled pulling their car over. Kyuubi turned his head and saw a white and black car with something on top. With a gasp he turned and ran into the trees. "HEY!" the man yelled as he came after him.

Running into branches and slidding on mud Kyuubi tried to get away but no matter what he did the man was always behind him. When arms came around his waist he screamed and tried to break free.  
"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." the man said in the most soothing tone Kyuubi had ever heard. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." the man went on as he held Kyuubi's arms' down. "I'm a policeman. I help people."  
"Let go!" Kyuubi yelled not wanting to be here. "Let go! I won't go back! I won't!" He screamed as he broke into another cough.

"Jesus, you're burning up." The man said taking off his jacket and putting on his weaking form. "I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?" the man said carrying him back to his car.

Kyuubi tried to answer but his mouth wouldn't open. Things were becoming fuzzy and he felt so tired. The man said something else but he didn't hear it. He was too tired to remember why he was running.

~x~  
Naruto opened his eyes and called for his brother. The rain had stopped but his brother didn't answer, "Kyuubi? Kyuubi sleeping? Naruto want you!" He called reaching out his hand. "Naruto want Kyuubi!" he yelled when he couldn't find his brother. Crawling he swept his hands over the floor. "KYUUBI!" he screamed running and tripping over things. Narrowing his eyes he tried to find his brother. "KYUUBI! Naruto scared!" he yelled and flinched as a bright light hurt his bad eyes. "Kyuubi say he come back!" He yelled falling over something and landing on his face. With tears and blood running down his face Naruto screamed for his brother to come back.

"Puppy." he whimpered when they puppy licked his face. Sitting up slowly he pulled the puppy closer and cried into his fur.

After a while he stood slowly and looked around. Kyuubi wasn't coming back for him. Kyuubi left him alone. Just like mommy said, Naruto wasn't good enough, Naruto was a bad boy and chased away Kyuubi. Naruto made Kyuubi mad and now he was gone. Naruto was alone. With renewed tears falling down his face he turned in a random direction and began to walk. "The boys not want Naruto, Kyuubi not want Naruto, no one not want Naruto." he whimpered holding the puppy close. "Naruto not want Naruto. Naruto all alone."

**4**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

Shikaku stood outside the hospital room that held the little boy he found only last night. At first Shikaku thought he was lost and scared but when he finally caputered the little boy he realized how small he was and how every bone in his body rubbed against his arm. When he got him to the hospital he saw how dirty he was and that his long hair was so tangled and full of lice they had to cut it off. Even washed he wasn't sure what color it was.

The boy was thin. Scars lined his body along with bruising. From the doctor he learned this little boy had suffered for a long time. He had broken bones that didn't mend right and some that where now in a cast. How he had walked with a crack in his leg, Shikaku didn't know. Hell, the little boy ran away from him with the crack in his leg.

There was signs that he was forced...

God how could someone rape a child? Just that thought brought a renewed rage all over again. If he found the man that did this, Shikaku planned to-

"Here." His fellow policeman and partner Inochi said handing him a cup of coffee. "Is his fever still high?"

"Yeah, doctors are trying all that they can to lower it. Did you find out how old he is?" Shikaku asked placing his cup on a near by tray.

"They say around seven or eight." Inochi said. "A child, only a baby, if that, treated like this. It ain't right."

"Do they know what's going to happen to him?"

"The chief said the state is going to come in. Little boy will be taken care of."  
"Not that that isn't good, but what about the bastard that did this?" Shikaku demanded angrily. He had a son around this boy's age. He was a father that loved his little boy and if anyone had done this to his child he would murder them. Shikaku would do all that he could to keep his son safe. He knew Inochi would do the same for his daughter.

"That's our job. The state will take care of this little boy and we will get the asshole." Inochi growled.

"Aren't you guys off duty?" Anko asked walking up to them with her partner Ibiki.

"Yeah." Shikaku said not looking away from the window.

"He's so tiny." Anko whispered sadly touching her hand to the glass between them. "God, he's so tiny."

Ibiki said nothing as he placed his big hands on her shoulders and rubbed them up and down. Even if he was the coldest and cruelest cop on the force he still had a heart when it came to children.

"We searched around the place you found him but we came up empty. Not much there but trees and weeds." Anko said after a while.

"Rain could have washed whatever he had away." Inochi answered.

"So we have no leads?" Shikaku asked angrily.

"Not yet. Not until he wakes up."

"You guys go home. We'll watch him and when he wakes up we'll give you a call." Ibiki commanded. Both tired cops nodded as they said their goodbyes and left.

"I'm going to see what else I can find on..." Anko nodded toward the child as she wiped her tears and left. Ibiki knew it was hard on her. Anko once had a child too, only a few days old before he disappeared and was found weeks later in a trunk. They found the woman that took the child to. She was a nut case that kept saying the baby told her to do it. It took Anko almost six years to get back to her normal life. By that time, her marriage had crumbled and she was practically living on the streets. Ibiki was her partner back then too. He took her in and tried to help her back onto her feet. When she came back to the force, she was more determined then ever to take down all of the bastards that lived in their city and find all of the children that needed them.

"Kid, wake up and tell us who did this too you." Ibiki begged quietly.

~x~

The sound of a constant beep slowly brought Kyuubi out of his sleep. He was so tired and he hurt but he felt so warm. Wanting to go back to sleep he tried to push the beeping away but it continued to annoy him. Slowly he opened his eyes. It took him three times before he could make anything out.

The first thing he saw was he was in a white room with machines on both sides of him. The next thing he saw was a man with scars on his face standing beside him. With a whimper he tried to get off the bed but the man's strong hand stopped him.

"Shhh, it's okay kid, I won't hurt you." the man gently said, his voice sounding odd to Kyuubi's ears. The man sounded like he should be yelling like his mother's friend, not being nice. "You're safe."

"Who are you?" Kyuubi asked fearfully moving as far as the man would let him. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital. I'm Ibiki. I'm a friend."

"I don't have friends." Kyuubi said looking around for his brother. Where was Naruto? Why wasn't he with him. "Naruto? Where's Naruto?" he demanded as tears begin to form. "I want my brother!" he screamed calling for Naruto.

"Brother?" Ibiki blinked reaching out to grab the kid and pulling his struggling form into his arms. "What brother?"

"Naruto, I want Naruto!" Kyuubi cried into the man's chest. "Naruto!"

"Fuck." Ibiki said as Anko came running in with Shikaku behind her. "There's another one. Another kid out there."

Shikaku nodded as he took off running down the hallway, speaking into the radio as he grabbed Inochi's arm.

"Don't worry baby." Anko said rubbing the little boys head, "We'll find him. We'll find your brother."

~x~  
It was a mile back, from where Shikaku found the first child, that they found any signs of where the child would have been. Shikaku stood under the bridge with a bag and dirty clothes at his feet.

Kneeling he moved some of the shirts and frowned as two pictures were revealed. Picking them up he noticed one had a man, a woman and two children. The other was just the two boys. From the looks of it one was taken a long time ago and the other looked like a year or two old.

"Find anything?" Inochi asked as their radios squawked.

"These." Shikaku said holding up the pictures. "Did you find the boy?"

"No yet. Dogs are still searching. Ibiki said that Kyuubi told them Naruto was special and that he couldn't see well. He has a dog or should have one. I hope we find him soon. A child their age shouldn't be out here, it's not safe."

It had taken Ibiki a while to get Kyuubi to trust him and Anko and to get that much information. Kyuubi had only opened up when Ibiki promised on his life to find Naruto.

"Konoha." Shikaku said reading the back. "Looks like we got an address. Might even have the bastard."

"It's a few towns over. Let's go." Inochi said reporting their progress.

"Yes, lets go." Shikaku answered softly as he stood. He was going to show the man what he thought of him and where the man would go when Shikaku was done with him.

**5**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

Naruto was cold. His bones hurt and the puppy wasn't barking any more. Instead it shivered and slept inside of Naruto's shirt. He missed Kyuubi. He wanted his brother back. He didn't want to find the boys anymore. He didn't want anything but Kyuubi.

But Kyuubi didn't want him. Kyuubi left him because Naruto wasn't a good boy. He was bad like his mommy said he was. Mommy always wanted him to die. She always said they deserved it. They deserved bad things because they ruined her. Maybe Kyuubi wanted Naruto to die. Maybe that's why he was all alone.

"Ah!" he cried out when he lost his footing. His blurred vision making it impossible to find or see anything. "Puppy?" Naruto called when the dog climbed out of his shirt and took off. He saw the blur but then it was gone. "Puppy? Puppy come back." Naruto called after the dog. Getting up he took a few steps only to fall to the ground again in pain.

With tears forming he tried again. This time he made it a bit farther before he lost his footing and slid down the dirt and into a hole. Crying with pain, Naruto stayed still and begged for Kyuubi not to hate him. He begged that Kyuubi still loved him and didn't want him to die. Naruto didn't know what die was but he knew it was bad. Maybe he deserved it... "Naruto sorry." He cried unable to move. "Naruto sorry."

~x~

Shikaku stood outside the apartment like house with Inochi right beside him. Taking a breath to calm his anger at the man behind the door, he lifted his hand and knocked. When a few minutes went by and no one came he knocked again.

Shikaku knew the man was here. The red car they had blocked in the driveway said as much. The lights in the house were on and a tv could be heard. Lifting his hand again he pounded on the door, causing it to shake.

He knew another team was looking for the other little boy. It had been a few days since he had found Kyuubi and a few more days since they started the search for Naruto. So far they were coming up empty. Every second that went by was another second that they could come closer to finding a dead child. Please, please let us find him, Shikaku begged anyone listening to his prayers.

The sound of footsteps coming toward them had both police men taking one step back to wait. They were out of their jurisdiction and so had come in civilian clothes. They weren't supposed to be here but Shikaku had convinced his chief to let him come.

"Yeah?" a teenage boy with red hair and piercings answered the door.  
"Is your father home?" Inochi asked.

"What's it to you?" The teenager asked lifting his brow defiantly. Shikaku recognized him from the picture. He had to be at least eighteen give or take a year. Shikaku knew from the pictures they were teenagers but because the back of the photo's had said 'My boys' that was what stuck.

"It's important." Inochi went on.

"How important? So important that I have to wake up my dad after a long day of work important?" The red head asked narrowing his eyes in annoyance. "Unless it's life or death, come back anoth-"

"It is." Shikaku cut the teen off. "Depending on your move, a child could live or die tonight."

"Wh-what?" The teen blinked in shock.

"We need to speak to Minato." Shikaku ordered.

"What's going on?" someone called from inside. "I swear Pain, if it's another one of your gang banging, fucked up, drug selling friends you're out of here."

"It's not." the teen answered. "It's two guys looking for you."

"Who are you?" Minato asked coming into view. Shikaku was kind of surprised by the look of the man. He looked no older then thirty. Certainly not old enough to have fathered two teenage sons and two younger boys. Kyuubi was a splitting image of the man and if what Kyuubi said was true, so was Naruto.

"I'm Shikaku Nara and this is Inochi Yamanaka." Shikaku said taking the lead. He wanted so badly to punch the man. What kind of sick man would treat children like he did? Abuse them and then go on as if nothing happened. Didn't he care that his sons were missing? Or did he hope that they would die out there?

"We're policemen from Leaf Valley." Inochi went on, noticing Shikaku's change of attitude. Pulling out his badge he showed it to Minato. "Can we come in?"

"Shit dad, your in trouble with the po po. That's rich." Pain laughed at his father's confusion. "Wait til bro finds out."

"What do you want?" Minato asked stepping around Pain to block the doorway.

"We have some questions." Inochi said. "It's best to talk in private."

"What have I done to get the law on my ass?" Minato demanded.  
"That is what we are here to discuss." Shikaku bit out. After a stare down between the two, Minato moved aside and gestured for them to go in. Following Pain to the living room, the two stood beside the window as Minato and his son took a spot on the couch.

"So what did my old man do?" the piereced teen asked earning a glare from his father.

"Do you recognize these pictures?" Inochi asked handing them over.

"Yes." Minato frowned in confusion, "How did you get them?"

"Name everyone in the pictures please." Shikaku ordered.

"Why?" Pain asked taking the pictures.

"Please, it's important." Inochi went on. Although he wasn't sure why Shikaku was asking for the names. He tried to figure out what game his partner was playing but came up empty.

"Me, my ex wife, and my sons." Minato answered.

"Names." Shikaku said again.

"Minato Namikaze," Pain said feeling more annoyed and confused then ever, "Kushina Uzumaki, Pain, er Yahiko Namikaze, and Nagato Namikaze. As you can see I was the blonde but I died my hair." Pain shrugged.

"Does Kushina live near here?" Shikaku asked as Inochi began to take notes.

"No, mom lives in Whirlpool. We, my brother and me, send her pics of us so we don't really have to go see her. She's kind of lost it when her parents died and well, she's nuts."

"Pain." Minato turned toward his son.

"What? It's true. She divorced dad because-"  
"That doesn't really matter." Minato went on. "For a child that grew up with the friends you have, you give a lot of information."

"It's stuff everyone already knows." Pain went on. "What's the point in pretending it doesn't exist?"

"Do you have an address for your mother?" Shikaku asked stopping the growing fight between father and son.

"Yeah," Pain nodded toward the pen and notebook Inochi had. Taking it when it was handed over, he scribbled the information they needed and gave it back. "That should still be it. Unless she moved, then you're shit out of luck."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Minato asked showing his frustration.

"Do you know two people by the names of Kyuubi and Naruto?" Shikaku asked. If Minato said yes, he'd beat the hell out of him. If he said no, Shikaku would still beat the hell out of him. He had asked for the names simply to add in Naruto's and Kyuubi's. He had hopped one or the other would have said 'but two are missing', yet neither seemed inclined to. What game where they playing? Did Pain and Nagato also use the boys for their disgusting games?

"Who?" Minato frowned in confusion. "Pain do you know them?"

"Don't look at me dad, I have no idea who he's talking about." Pain said when the front door opened. "Nagato, man do you know a Kyuubi and a Nar, what was the name again?"

"Naruto." Inochi supplied feeling like he was back to square one. Their confusion clearly showed they knew nothing. Did Minato even know he had two other kids?

"No." Nagato answered quietly as he appeared. His natural red hair falling over half his sickly thin face. Over one arm was a book bag showing them that he had just come from school.

"Who are they?" Minato asked when the two policemen stood.

"When did you and your wife divorce?" Inochi asked.

"About eight years ago." Minato answered. So Kushina never told him then. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Shikaku turned to face the man. He knew he shouldn't but he knew he had to. Minato wasn't at fault. Minato knew nothing of the twins, which would put the blame on Kushina. "Go to the hospital in Leaf Valley. All three of you. Ask to speak to a man named Ibiki Morino. Tell whoever you ask he's a policeman. Tell him Shikaku sent you." Turning away from the three, Shikaku followed Inochi to their car and pulled out his phone. Dialing a number he waited until someone answered, "Aburame." the man answered.

"Have you found Naruto?" Shikaku asked.

"No, his trail is still cold. Tsume has her dogs scouting the area."

"Call me if anything pops up." Shikaku said and hung up. Dialing another number he waited and then said, "Kushina Uzumaki. She lives in Whirlpool, address is..."

~x~

Minato pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car with his two sons. All three had driven in silence, each wanting to voice a question but knowing nothing would come of it. What did Shikaku want with them here?

"Can I help you?" a receptionist asked pleasently.

"We're looking for Ibiki Morino." Minato said stepping in front of his sons. "He's a policeman in here."

"Policeman?" The woman frowned and picked up the phone. After a few minutes she told them to wait and he'd come to them.

After five minutes, the elevator opened revealing a scared man in a uniform. Spotting him, the three stood up and walked toward him. "Ibiki Morino?" Minato asked feeling confused by the look of shock on the man's face. "Shikaku sent me here to find you."

"Did he now." the man muttered before nodding toward the elevator. "Looks just like a clone."

"Excuse me?" Minato frowned.

"Kyuubi, he looks like you." Ibiki asked.

"Who's Kyuubi?" Pain asked the man. "Everyone keeps saying his name and another but-"

"Gut feeling here, but I'm more then positive that Kyuubi and Naruto are both your sons." Ibiki said meeting Minato's stunned gaze.

"My what?"

"His what?" The teenagers asked in shock.

~x~

Naruto shivered at the cold and the dark taking the sun away. His eyes were tired and his leg was feeling funny. He tried moving it but it didn't want to move. His body didn't want to move. It just wanted to stay still. "Naruto tired." he said trying to focus on the fading light. "Tired, Kyuubi, Naruto love Kyuubi." he whispered softly, closing his eyes.

**6**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

Kushina stared in shock at the empty room filled with nothing but garbage. With a hand over her mouth, she made her way slowly around the piles of piss, shit, and rotting food. With a shake of her head she slowly spun around hoping what she was seeing was wrong.

"Shit," She whispered as she ran a bony hand through her hair. Bitting her thumb she continued to spin.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"They're gone," Kushina answered as she turned to face her husband, Danzo. The man was old enough to be her father two times over. It was really a drunken state that caused the marriage between the two and when Kushina was sober enough to realize what she had done, she didn't really care. The man took care of her and gave her what she wanted and in return she let him have the two boys as his toys. She didn't really want them. Not when it was their fault that her parents had died. The day she told her mother she was pregnant, her mother had cried in joy and declared her and her father were going to come right over. That day they got in an accident and the next time she saw her parents was in a casket. So at eight weeks into her pregnancy, Kushina had lowered her parents into the ground as her hate grew. At three months, she grew tired of Minato telling her it would be okay and they'd get their lives together again. Not long after she divorced Minato and took off. She missed her boys and wished they were with her but the state had deemed she wasn't good enough to get them. Instead she had to watch as Minato watched over her boys as she gave birth to two unwanted mistakes. Because of Minato her boys hated her.

It was the mistakes fault and Minato's that she lost her parents and their fault that her life was the way it was. How she hated them. If she could have killed the mistakes when they were born she would have. But fate got in the way and she met Danzo a few days after and she saw the new light. At first they simply lived together and he took care of them but then, when they were old enough, he began to play with them. Kushina thought it was disgusting but since he was giving her a new life, she let it go on when she felt like it. If he pissed her off, she threatened him and sent him away until he gave her what she wanted.

"What do you mean gone?" Danzo hissed as he looked around the cage that they had made for them.

"They're not in here damn it!" Kushina shouted. If the police found them... "Shit, shit, shit. If the cops... Fuck!"

"How did you let them get away!" Danzo yelled as his eyes blazed with hatred.

"Me? You fucker! They are your bastards! You were supposed to keep them! I never agreed to keeping them! I never wanted them! If the police come looking, they're going to come for you, you son of a bitch!" Kushina yelled just as angry. "I'm getting the fuck out of here, I don't care what you do."

"You are going to help-"

"I'm not helping with shit," Kushina glared. "You are on your own. You wanted them, you go and get them. Keep them. I don't give a fuck. I'm out."

"You stupid bitch! I gave you the-"

"Life I have?" Kushina laughed cruely as she pushed passed him, "Listen old man, this life is no better then my last one. Do whatever the hell you want, I'm gone."

"You are my wife!"

"And how many times have we fucked? Once? Twice? And how many times have you fucked them? More then we ever did and more then what is natural for a man your age to get it up." Kushina laughed cruely. "Do whatever the fuck you want."

Before Danzo could stop her, she packed her things as quickly as she could and hightailed it out of there.

Not long after, Danzo packed a few things and left too. But where his young wife left to hide, he left to find his angels.

~x~

Fugaku turned to his partner Hizashi as the man doubled check the address. The long haired man frowned as he looked up again and turned to face him. With a nod, he opened the door and got out.

Fugaku followed his lead and met him at the front of the car. "Can this even be anyone's home?" he asked.  
"I would have assumed it was abandon." Hizashi said looking around. Fugaku did a quick scan of the place again. This place wasn't made for anyone. It may have at one time been beautiful but now it was on the verge of collapsing. The yard was overgrown. The garage was half gone. The paint was peeling and the windows were boarded up from the inside. The porch was missing boards every few steps. "Maybe the boy wrote the address wrong?"

"Let's see." Fugaku said and lead the way. Finding a trail of sorts, he made his way toward the door. On the porch he had to grab onto Hizashi arm when a board gave in under him.

"You okay?"

"Peachy." Fugaku nodded as he knocked on the door. With just a tap, the door slowly swung open. "Well it looks livable." he added when he saw how nicely decorated it was within.

"It's like a portal to another world," Hizashi added and then called out a 'hello'. When no one answered, Fugaku walked in. If these people could abuse children for seven years, he could enter any damn time he pleased. If any of them where home, he'd take them down in the most painful way possible and take them in. He'd make the ride to the station the worst one possible. Hell would be Heaven when he was done with them.

He had two boys and the thought of them going through this, pissed him the hell off. He saw red each time he thought of it.

When he and Hizashi had been assigned to aid in this case, he had read the file over many times. Each time hoping something was typed wrong or a joke. When he realized what he'd be getting into, Fugaku had clocked out at the end of the night, went home, and simply hugged his boys for a few hours. He ignored his wife's questioning looks and his sons confusion. Finally he let them go and sent them to bed. In his own room he had cried into his hands for two boys that were given the short end of the stick. Mikoto had looked at him with worry as she held his shaking form in her arms and tried to sooth him. He went to bed with his wife's soothing words in his ear.

Hizashi had said very little on the case, but Fugaku had caught him blinking back his own tears as he read the same file on his own desk.

"Let's split up, you get the left side, I'll get the right." Hizashi said with his hand on his holster. With a quick sweep of the house, both met up in an empty hallway that resembled the outside appearance. "One last door."

With a few steps, Fugaku put his hand on the knob and pushed it open. It caught on something but with a harder pushed, it swung open. With a curse, both men covered their noses and blinked away the tears the smell had created. Pulling the collar of his uniform over his nose, Fugaku turned to look back inside and gasped. The place was covered in garbage and smelt like an outhouse mixed with a dump. To one side he saw a small indent that looked like it had been made into a bed. All around the room, against the walls, were bars.

"Radio a team in." Fugaku said turning away from the sight of the room. "Get a warrent to search this place. I'm sure if we begin looking, we'll find more."

Nodding, Hizashi turned away from the room and pulled out his radio. "This is Officer Hizashi Hyuuga..."

~x~  
"My sons?" Minato blinked, "I think you're mistaking me for someone else. I only have two-"

"Plus two more." Ibiki said with a straight face. "Two seven year olds, one that's here in the hospital and one that's missing."

"Dad?" Nagato said looking from his father's shocked face to the police man.

"We can do a DNA test but that is highly unnecessary being on how they are like your mini clones." Ibiki went on. "Normally we're not supposed to let in people with our charges but I'm sure if you came in claiming fatherhood to the boy, they'd let you in. So we'll say you did that and we have to comply or risk lawsuits."

"How?" Minato asked blankly.

"Kushina was pregnant when she left you. At least it fits the story line. I'm guessing she never told you about them," he added looking at Pain and Nagato. "What we got so far is from Kyuubi's own version."

"Kyuubi, he's the one in here, right?" Minato whispered looking toward a door that had two policemen guarding it.

"Yes and Naruto is still out there. We have half the force trying to find the boy but where not having much luck." Ibiki sighed as he ran a hand over his head.  
"Ibiki?" Another officer called before Minato could question them more about his sons he knew nothing about.

"Anko, this is Minato Namikaze and his two boys, Pain and Nagato."

"What are they doing here?" Anko asked running a critical eye over them.

"They came to see Kyuubi-"

"That can't happen. Until we-"

"Anko, this is the boy's father. He has all rights to see his son." Ibiki cut her off. With a hand on her shoulder he stirred her away to speak to her privately. Over his shoulder he nodded for Minato to head to the room.

With slow even steps, Minato made his way slowly toward the guarded door. Taking a small breath, he reached for the knob and stopped moving. Was this all one big fib? A story made up because he looked like the boy? They did mention Kushina though. They came looking for him... He wouldn't know until he opened the door. Turning to look at his two sons behind him, Minato turned the knob and made his way into the room.

**7**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

In the room was a tiny child sleeping in the center of the giant bed. His little hands were curled by his side as he slept with a pillow holding his head up and a thin blanket to his waist. But the child's face froze him in the doorway. There was no doubt about it, this little boy was his son. Even if he was so thin, Minato couldn't deny the facts.

Minato had thought that Nagato and Pain looked like him as children but they had nothing on this little boy. He looked exactly like Minato did at his age. He even knew without a doubt that this little boy would have blonde hair if it wasn't shaved off and his eyes would be blue.

"Dad?" Pain called from behind him. With a jump, Minato moved farther into the room and allowed his sons to follow. Ignoring their intakes of breaths, he made his way to the child's side. With one hand, he reached out to touch the thin face before he stopped himself and retracted his hand. How could Kushina had kept them from him? How could she have told him nothing about them? He missed seven years of his babies lives and for those seven years, they had suffered. Everything Ibiki told him came back full force. It struck him so hard he almost fell.

Pulling a seat closer to the sleeping child, Minato sat down and continued to gaze at him. This was Kyuubi, his baby boy, but where was Naruto? Where was the other child?  
"Dad," Nagato said moving to his side. "Mom did this, didn't she?"

"Yeah." Minato nodded. In that moment he hated Kushina more then he ever hated anyone in his life. She was his childhood sweet heart. They got engaged in highschool and married in college. They had two boys together and lived half their life together before she left him. Even for those eight years that she was gone, he loved her, but now... Now he would like nothing more then to make her pay, make her suffer, make her regret everything that she had ever done to this tiny body in front of him. In this moment he would like nothing more then to see Kushina, and the bastard that helped her hurt his sons, dead at his feet.

~x~

"Anything?" Kakashi heard over the radio in his ear.

"None yet," he answered Tsume. Like the head tracker, Kakashi was combing the woods for the child that had been missing for a few weeks now. He and his eight dogs had one side of the woods and Tsume and her dogs had the other half.

"Copy that," he heard the woman growl in frustration.

Kakashi felt her frustation as his own. Both teams had been searching nonstop for days and nights since Kyuubi had spoken about his brother. Kakashi didn't have kids of his own, but like all the others on this case, he had felt the pain of finding out Kyuubi's and Naruto's past. He knew the world wasn't perfect. That there were bad people out there. He wasn't stupid, blind, deaf to the crimes of the world. Kakashi had even been sent out of town and even across the country to use his dogs to find people. But this case hit hard. Two boys raped and abused probably since the day they were born. One of them beaten to the point of being reduced to a simple mindset while the other tried and failed to protect him. He knew Kyuubi was in good hands at the hospital but Naruto... He couldn't lose the kid he had yet to meet. Naruto had suffered too long to be left to die alone out here. He wouldn't give up on the boy until he was found. He wouldn't take on another case until he knew for sure what happened to Naruto. He prayed that Naruto was alive and safe, but knew the boy could possibly already be dead. If he found a body... he didn't want to think about that. "Heading farther in," he radio Tsume before sending his dogs in another direction.

His dogs were good. They were eight of the best trackers aside from Tsume's dog, and yet they couldn't find a trace. The rain was a big problem, coming and going every hour to the point that Kakashi could see his own breath. If he was having problems surviving this, how was Naruto doing?

With his eyes moving slowly over the woods, Kakasi saw the moment that Shiba seemed to find something. The dog immediatly went on the alert and gave a bark. "Tsume, I think I've got something!" Kakashi said quickly, he and the other dogs began to track Shiba as he began to make his way quickly over fallen trees.

"On my way." Tsume answered.

"Come on boy," Kakashi whispered to Shiba. For ten more minutes, the dog made his way from tree to tree, never vearing off of his path. "Find him."

Another five minutes went by before Shiba stopped completely. Moving to the dog's side, Kaskashi gently pushed the other dogs away to see what Shiba had found. Shivering underneath a tree was a tiny puppy.

"Tsume," Kakashi called.

"Have you found him?" Tsume said quickly.

"No, but Shiba found Akamaru." Kakashi sighed and ran a tired hand down his face.

"Akamaru? You found him?" Tsume said sounding surprised.

"Yes ma'ma," Kakashi answered as he reached for the dog, "I'll get him and take him- Hey!" he shouted as Akamaru took off running.

"Kakashi?"

"He took off and I'm giving pursuit." Kakashi answered as he ran after the dogs. If Tsume said anything else, Kakashi wasn't sure. He was too concentrated on the way his dogs were acting. Each of them were on full alert and running in one destination, after Akamaru. Wherever the little dog was leading them, he was intent on getting them there as fast as he could.

Not wanting to be left behind, Kakashi picked up his speed and kept the dogs in view. When each of them came to a stop, Kakashi knew the search was over. Moving quickly, he looked down the hill all of the dogs were gathered around. "Tsume," he said quickly as the tiny body layed within unmoving, "I found him! We need a medic!" he yelled as he tried to find a way down. "Please be alive." he begged. Please don't be dead.

~x~  
Kyuubi groaned quietly as he rubbed sleep from his eyes and looked around. With a soft gasp he looked closely at the three people sleeping in his room. One man was in the chair next to his and two others were sleeping with their backs against the wall as they sat on the floor. Looking closely he realized who they were, "The boys," he gasped softly and then began to cry.

**8**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

At the sound of sobbing, Minato opened tired eyes to find the little boy crying into his hands. Sitting up, he slowly reached out a hand and gently touched the little boy's shoulder.

"Please don't cry," he whispered to the crying child.

"I want Naruto." Kyuubi sobbed, waking the two teens from the floor. "I want my brother!"

"They're looking for him." Minato told him. He was unsure of what to do. Should he pull him into his arms and tell him everything was going to be okay? How would he know if that was true? Anything could happen and it hurt to know that just when he found two more sons, he might lose one of them.

"Are they going to find him?" Kyuubi asked turning toward him, his tears still falling. "I can't protect him if he's not here."

"You don't have to protect him," Minato whispered, "I'll protect both of you."

"No you won't." Kyuubi said turning to look at Nagato and Pain and then back to Minato.

"Why won't I?"

"Because no one protected us before."

~x~

"Kakashi?" someone shouted from a distance away.

"Down here! Hurry up!" Kakashi shouted back. "Hang on Naruto," he said to Naruto's unconscious form. "Don't give up on me yet." Naruto's lips were a light blue and his breathing was faint. Drapping his jacket over the little boy, Kakashi ordered his dogs to bark for the others to find them. He wanted to pick Naruto up and run to them, but he feared that any movement on his part could hurt the child more. Blowing on his hands and rubbing them together, he gently touched Naruto's pale skin to try and warm him up before doing it again.

"We're coming down Kakashi," someone shouted from above.

"Hurry up damn it!" Kakashi screamed, "Just a little longer. Only a little longer Naruto. Kyuubi's waiting for you."

"Move," Rin ordered as she pushed him aside and began gently looking Naruto over. First she flashed a tiny light in his eyes and then moved her head to check his breathing. "Hand me the neck brace and get the stretcher ready." she ordered another medic. "On three. One, two, three."

Kakashi stood back as he let the others get to work on Naruto. He watched as Rin put an oxygen mask on him and pulled the jacket tighter over his body before placing a thin blanket. He watched the other medic strap Naruto in and then moved to help them when they made to move Naruto out.

"Slow and easy." Rin ordered as she took her place by Naruto's head. "Kakashi shut your dogs up."

With a low whistle, the dogs went quiet.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto was being raced down the road and toward his brother and waiting family.

~x~

"He'll make it," Tsume said sounding convincing as they loaded her dogs up in the car. With Akamaru in her arms she turned to Kakashi, "I won't have it any other way. I won't have a child with such a bad start die."

"We have no control over it now," Kakashi said wishing he could believe her. "It's up to them now."

"It doesn't matter. I have fate that he'll survive." the woman said, "I'm going home to kiss my children and tell them I love them. I'm going to give Akamaru a bath and then I'm going to go in my room to cry and pray that my words reach God's ear."

~x~

Tsuande waited by the front doors for the ambulance to appear. Every second wasted seemed like another nail driven into her chest. Biting her thumb she tried to calm her beating heart.

"There!" Shizune shouted when the ambulance came into view.

"Be ready!" Tsuande ordered and ran to the people jumping out of the back. In seconds, that seemed like hours, Tsuande had Naruto in the emergency room and set to work with help from Rin and Shizune. "Don't die." she begged silently to the bony child.

~x~

"I know." Minato whispered with tears forming. "But I'll be there now. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Not me," Kyuubi said wiping at his eyes, "Naruto. Can you bring me back my brother?"

"I'll try." Minato promised.

"He wanted to see the boys. He wanted to see them too." Kyuubi said as new tears appeared. "I told him we'll be okay when we see the boys and that the boys will take care of us. It's my fault he's gone. It's all my fault!"

"No," Pain said moving to the bed. God, knowning this child was his brother and that he and his twin had tried to find him and Nagato... Now the pictures made sense. Now he knew why Shikaku was so insistant on those pictures. "Not your fault. Naruto and you are going to be taken care of now. We won't let anything happen to you guys. Me and Nagato will keep you safe. That's what big brothers do."

"I'm Naruto's big brother," Kyuubi got out. "I take care of him because the man hurt him. Now I take care of him."

"That man, if I see him, I hurt the man back." Pain promised. "I'll make him suffer for hurting you and that's my promise to you and Naruto."

"They found him!" Anko shouted as she threw open the door. "They found him!"

~x~

Danzo stood in silence as he watched the news. On it a man was telling the world the horror story of two young boys and their run for survival. He was telling how one was going to be okay while the other was in critical condition. He heard the man saying how they were now in the care of their biological father that knew nothing of them before this and how they were searching for their missing mother and a man.

Flicking the tv off, he turned his gaze to the mirror. They had no idea who he was or where he was. But Danzo now knew where his angels were and he was going to find them. He wasn't sure which one was okay and which one was close to death, but he planned to get one or both. They were given to him by God, himself, to love and cherish to his heart content. And that is what he would do. "Daddy is coming angels."

**9**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Naruto likes to draw," Kyuubi was telling Nagato and Pain as they waited for Naruto to get out of his fifth surgery in less then two weeks. Two weeks where he almost died two times, once when he first arrived and another when they were performing the third surgery. "Sometimes I'd move the mush around so that it would go flat and he'd use a stick to draw."

"What did he draw?" Nagato asked the little boy, his eyes holding unshed tears as he forced himself to smile. Kyuubi had opened up to them when Naruto had arrived. He wasn't afraid to answer anything anymore. It was like having Naruto near was all that he needed to be okay. Lifting his head up, he saw Shikaku and Inochi writing down in their notebooks. His dad was with Naruto or as close to him as he could get. He had yet to leave the smaller twin's side since the little one had arrived. Kyuubi seemed content enough with that once both Nagato and Pain said that Minato was their real dad and he'd protect Naruto from the man and anyone else that wished to harm him.

"He drew us," Kyuubi answered as he sat in Pain's lap on the bed, his body tilted enough to play comfortably with Pain's necklace. "He liked drawing us. He's a good drawer even if he didn't have good eyes."

Nagato knew another policeman should have been asking questions but Kyuubi wouldn't talk to the others, not even Officer Ibiki. He didn't trust them anymore now that he found 'the boys' as he kept calling them. He didn't even want anyone but 'the boys' to touch him and when Naruto came, only he and Pain were allowed to watch over him. No one else. He wasn't really warming up to their dad, but Nagato knew that in time, Kyuubi would see that he had nothing to fear.

"He drew you too," Kyuubi went on, turning his eyes to look at Nagato. "When we found the pictures he wanted to draw you. But they didn't come out right. I told him how you looked but he couldn't get it right. He couldn't see you and he'd cry. I told him they were pretty though. I told him he did a good job."

"I'm sure he liked that," Nagato said softly.

"He did, he smiled when I told him too." Kyuubi giggled.

"Do you want to tell us about your old home?" Pain asked, looking at the sheet that he and Nagato were given so that they could ask certain questions. He knew the cops wanted to know more about the guy that hurt his brothers and if Pain found him first, he'd make the asshole pay. "What was it like?"

"Stinky," Kyuubi made a face, "Our room was dirty and we got in trouble. Our mom said we were messy animals and threw food on us. Then the man would come and take us. I made sure he took me and not Naruto. But he hurt Naruto more." Kyuubi whimped, burying his face in Pain's body. "I couldn't keep him safe."

"You did a good job. Naruto's alive because of you." Nagato answered, hoping his smile would calm his brother. "You're his hero."

"What's a hero?" Kyuubi asked quietly.

"It's someone that protects others no matter what happens to themselves." Pain smiled, kissing his forehead. In a way, it was weird to see Pain acting so caring toward a child. Nagato had never thought he'd see the day where Pain was kind. Sure Pain would protect him but it didn't stop his brother from messing with him either. Pain didn't really care for kids, it was to the point where the kids in the neighborhood were afraid if they saw him. Pain always laughed as he and his friends made it a game to scare them.

"Are you gonna be our heros?"

"If you let us." Pain answered, "Tell us about the man. Can you do that?"

"Why?"

"So we can find the man. See those nice policemen over there?" Nagato asked nodding toward Shikaku and Inochi, "They want to find him but they don't know anything about him."

"Oh," Kyuubi seemed to think about this, "He's not like our mom. He's grey and his skin moves a lot. Like this." with his fingers he touched his face and dragged his skin down. "And he takes stuff to make him not sick."

"Were looking for an old man?" Nagato heard Inochi quietly asked Shikaku, turning to face them, Shikaku rolled his hand as if saying to continue.

"What else?" Nagato asked.

"His head kept touching the top of the gate." Kyuubi said.

"Gate?" Pain mouthed to Nagato.

Shrugging his shoulders, Nagato asked, "Do you know his name?"

"He made us call him Daddy, but he's not our daddy." Kyuubi said earnestly.

"That's right, he's not your daddy," Pain said through clenched teeth, his hands turning to fist out of view from Kyuubi. "Our dad is your daddy, just like we are your big brothers."

"She said he was though. She told us we were his basta-"

"No, you aren't." Nagato stopped him before he could finish that word. God, the woman he had loved as a mother... How? Why? To her own kids? What was wrong with her!

"And we could only take baths if the man was with us." Kyuubi said after a while. "He had this thingy, it was this big," he measured with his hands, "and it blinked, no the light blinked. He hold it or put it by the sink when he got in with us."

"Fuck," Pain cursed silently as he ran a hand down Kyuubi's back. It was more to comfort himself then to comfort the boy. Kyuubi spoke as if this was nothing. As if it was normal. It was only when he spoke of Naruto getting hurt did he seem like he wanted to cry. Pain didn't want to know anymore. He wanted to call someone who had a degree for this to finish this up, but the lady they had brought in scared Kyuubi. The man they brought after gained no results. They were running out of choices and Pain and the Nagato were what they had left.

"I'll be right back," Shikaku said to them. "Why don't you boys watch cartoons? I'm sure you'll like them Kyuubi." he smiled gently as he motioned for Inochi to follow. Grabbing the paper he gave to Pain, he headed out the door and pulled out his phone. "Uchiha."

"Nara," Fugaku answered in kind.

"The bastard had video tapes. Find them, we find the man. Because I very much doubt a man that lived three hundred years ago still lives there now."

"Video tapes?"

"Or disk, something. Kyuubi just told his brothers about them. They have to be in the house somewhere. If not then in a safety box or something. Probably in another alias."  
"On it," Fugaku said, his voice cold and empty as he hung up.

~x~

"Fugaku?" Hizashi questioned as Fugaku put his phone in his pocket and looked back at the house, his eyes filled with hate. Since the first day they had arrived, both and a few others had been searching the place for any clues to anything and had come up empty.

"He has tapes." Fugaku growled. "He has fucking tapes."

"Then we search again." Hizashi hissed, "Check every fucking thing," he ordered the other policemen there, "I want half of you to go through every room one at a time. Bring everything out once you've checked it inside. The rest of you will then check it again out here and if its shit, it'll be dumped in a pile over there. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!" the others replied as five men went in and five stayed out to start the search again.

"We'll find them and when we find them, we'll find him." Fugaku said, "I'll be inside."  
"I got out here."

~x~

Danzo watched in awe at the sight before him. His eyes glued to the tv as one of his homemade movies played out before him. This was his favorite of all of them. This was the one he kept with him at all times, the others hidden deep within his own home.

This one was of both twins standing side bye side in the bedroom. Both of them bare of everything and freshly bathed. Their hands were linked as fear showed in Naruto's unfocused eyes and blankness in Kyuubi's as the latter stood in front of the first.

"Go lay down and wait for daddy," he heard himself say. With love and lust growing in his eyes, Danzo watched the boys turn from the camera and climb onto the bed. Their beautiful bodies showing everything he wished to see. How he itched to touch them again. To hold them. To love them. Oh how he missed his angels.

The camera jiggled as it was placed down and then he saw himself moving toward the boys, his body just as bare and washed as their own, as he climbed in the bed after them. "Daddy loves you." he whispered with himself on the camera. "Daddy will always love his little angels."

Closing his eyes, Danzo gasped as pleasure spread through his body with the first cry of pain coming from Naruto. With his hand running down his body, he imagined the scene as if it were really happening.

Not long after, as the video still played in the background, Danzo smiled with content at the thought of claiming his angels again.

**10**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

Minato frowned with worry as he gazed back at the clock. Two hours, Naruto had been in his fifth surgery for two hours.

The first surgery was his leg. The doctor had to cut open his son's small thin leg to find all the pieces of his bone and glue then back together. The doctor had compared it to a jigsaw puzzle.

The second one was on the same day, his back. The spine had cracked and broken in two places. The doctors were forced to cut open his son again as they put them all back in order. Naruto may never walk after that, not even with the surgery, he may never even feel beneath his waist. Just that thought had Minato taking in a gulp of air to stop himself from screaming.

The third surgery had been a day later when Naruto couldn't catch his breath, the machines completely useless as the beeped like crazy in the background. They had taken a few x-rays as they forced his body to breathe and found he had brain edema. In five minutes flat, they had him back on their table. They had taken a piece of his skull out and stuck a tube to relieve the pressure building within. After that scare, Minato had looked up brain edema and almost punched the computer screen when he saw the effects it would have.

The fourth surgery was once more on his head, this time placing a small metal plate in the place of the skull they had removed. Not wanting to harm his brain anymore, but unable close it up incase of more swelling, they had watched him for a few days to make sure it wouldn't swell again. A week and five days later, they decided it was best to put the metal plate in.

Now he was waiting on the fifth surgery to be completed on his son. Only two hours and five minutes ago, after another exam, Tsuande had found something she didn't like and rushed Naruto into the operating room. It had been another blow to Minato's heart when another doctor had informed him that they had found fluid forming around Naruto's lung. They had said he may have gotten it after the pneumonia had attacked his body, almost taking his life.

What kind of world was it when a child, no more then seven, had already gone on five surgeries, when a man his age had yet to gain one? What sin did he create for his son to be given such a fucked up start in life?

If he could see Kushina right now, he'd kill her with a smile on his face. He'd walk into the court room, look the judge straight in the eye and say, 'I'd do it again'. If one could kill someone over and over again, he'd do it to Kushina and whoever the bastard was that did this to his sons.

"Minato," Tsuande called, jerking him out of his thoughts and bringing him to his feet. "Naruto is recovering. We drained the fluid but we'll keep a closer eye on him."

"What the hell is wrong with the world when a child goes through this?"

"Everything." Tsuande sighed tiredly. "He'll be taken to his room in a few minutes and then you'll be able to see him."

"Thank you." Minato said, shaking her hand. "For saving my sons, thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll send a nurse to inform your other boys." she nodded and moved on when her name was called by another doctor.

True to her word, Minato looked down at his sleeping son and let his tears fall. He wanted to reach out and hold his son but he didn't want to chance hurting him more then he already was. It hurt to know that the majority of Naruto's life was resting on the machines connected to his body. The machines that helped him breathe, helped him pee, fed him, kept him from dying...

"Naruto, I know you might not hear me but I hope and pray that you do. Please, son, please fight to hold on. Please don't give up. I know it might be hard for you to fight, your life was hard, harder then any should ever be. I know you have nothing to fight for, no, you have Kyuubi to fight for. Your brother would die right along with you if you left us Naruto. Please don't leave us. Not before I get the chance to meet you. To watch you grow and marry." Trying and failing to stop his voice from breaking he went on, "A child doesn't die before his father. No child dies before they can be free. I know you want to sleep, to keep the pain away but I promise you, with my life, my soul, everything of me, that your life will be better then any child's alive. I promise to protect you and Kyuubi beyond my last breath. Please don't join god in heaven yet. Please don't become another angel in the clouds. Please, please hold on for us. For me, for your brothers, for Kyuubi."

~x~

"Is Naruto coming yet?" Kyuubi asked hopefully. "Can I go see him?"

"Not yet," Pain smiled as he gently ran a hand over Kyuubi's bald head, a little fuzz finally appearing. "Soon though, alright."

"He's safe right?" Kyuubi asked, looking into his eyes, his own bright blue eyes asking for one answer. The begging plea within, breaking his heart.

"Yes, Daddy's with him remember? He won't let anyone hurt him anymore." Pain nodded, wishing he was better with children like Nagato. Since Nagato went to go check on Naruto and their dad, it was up to Pain to make everything alright with a few words that he begged as truths.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart." Pain answered and was shocked at the trust he saw in Kyuubi's eyes. How could this little boy trust him so quickly and so easily? He could understand Nagato, but he, himself was a terrible person. He got in trouble with the law did everything he could to keep things interesting. Bullied kids and teens alike. Made life hell for his dad. He was a bad person, he knew it but didn't care... not until now. Not until he met his brothers. Not until he saw how much they had suffered because of a woman he couldn't really stand. Feeling his phone vibrating in his pocket, he smiled at Kyuubi, "Why don't you watch cartoons, I need to answer something, alright?"

"Okay," Kyuubi nodded, and with help from Pain, moved off of Pain's lap to sit on the bed. Pushing the button he turned his gaze to watch some weird looking show on cartoon network.

Walking to the corner of the room, Pain pulled out his phone, "What?"

"'Sup man," Hidan answered from the otherside, "Listen, Kakuzu got us a way into the concert. There are going to be some fuckin' sexy babes. Just let us know where to get yo-"

"I'm not going." Pain cut him off.

"What the hell do you mean you're not going! Fuck man, it took forever to get us in and you're ditching-"

"I have something else to do. The concert means shit to me right now."

"What the hell is more important then this?"

"Something you wouldn't understand." Pain growled softly, turning his gaze to see Kyuubi giggling at the image on the screen. "Take Kisame, or Konan. I'm out."

"What the hell-" before Hidan could finish his sentence, Pain ended the call and put it back in his pocket. Moving to the bed, he sat down beside Kyuubi and pulled his little brother into the crook of his arm. This was more important then anything out there. It wouldn't be easy, but Pain was going to try turning a new leaf. He was going to try and get his life on track.

"Look!" Kyuubi said, pointing to some weird little kid doing odd stunts.

"Wow," Pain nodded in amazement. "I bet I can do that."

"Really?" Kyuubi asked in awe, turning to give him a look that Pain had never seen directed at him. It was one of wonder and hero worship. It was one that he didn't deserve.

"We'll have to wait and see." Pain said softly, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. God, if you are real, help me... help me be better for them.

~x~

Danzo watched in silence, his eyes never leaving the child playing on the swing, in the park, by himself as he sang 'You are my sunshine'. He was almost like his angels. His hair was blonde and his eyes were blue. He was his angels' age, he had to be, and he was beautiful.

He had to have been another angel sent down to him by god himself. He was made to join his own two earth bond angels.

Moving to open his door, Danzo put one foot on the ground and was halfway out when he saw a woman with blonde hair in a long braid and the same eyes. Sitting back down he frowned in anger as she moved to his angel.

"Deidara, honey, time to go home."

"Okay mommy." the little boy smiled, his voice just as perfect as his angels. Jumping from the swing he ran to her side and held her hand. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you..."

"Make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." Danzo finished, starting the car to follow the woman's little four door, all the while humming the lovely little lullaby.

**11**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Yahiko?" Kyuubi yawned as he fought to stay awake, his little body curled around a stuffed bear that Nagato had bought in the hospital gift shop. It was nothing special, brown with button black eyes. It was fuzzy and small. Pain would have never even looked at it twice, but with not much money on him, Nagato had bought what he could. Kyuubi's expression when he saw it was amazing. There was no other word he could use for it. The little boy eyes had lit up and the joy on his face was beautiful. Pain was almost brought to tears by Kyuubi and had to quickly turn away.

"Yeah?" Pain asked from the spot behind his little brother. He had tried to move to the chair to let Kyuubi be more comfortable, but Kyuubi wouldn't let him go. Since Nagato had taken it upon himself to be mostly with Naruto and their dad, coming back to check on Kyuubi and tell them about Naruto's condition, Pain had become pretty close to the little guy. He had yet to see Naruto himself, only because he promised Kyuubi that they'd see their other brother as one. He wanted to see his other brother. He wanted to know what Naruto looked like, even if he looked like Kyuubi, he wanted to see him so badly but he couldn't break Kyuubi's trust.

"Do you think Naruto will be awake tomorrow? Yahiko, can we go see him?" Kyuubi asked, turning slightly to look over his shoulder at Pain. It was weird to hear his real name being used. It always caught Pain by surprise and the first few times he heard it, he had to remember it was him. Yet Pain didn't want Kyuubi to know him as Pain. He wanted the other to know him as Yahiko, or big brother, but not Pain. Pain was the name that was associated with breaking the law. Yahiko was more innocent. It was the name that should be spoken by his baby brothers.

"I'm not sure. He's still healing, but when he wakes up, we'll be the first ones to see him." Pain promised. "Come on, Kyu, time for bed."

"Can you hold me?" Kyuubi asked, sitting up and turning to face him. "Please?"

"Yeah." Pain nodded and pulled the little boy into his lap. When Kyuubi was comfortable, he kissed his fuzzy short blonde hair. "Night kid."

"Night Yahiko." Kyuubi yawned.

~x~

"Ma'ma please step out of the car." Yamato ordered again when the woman refused to follow his orders the first time. Why was it him that always ended up with the stubbern drunks? Why couldn't he just pull over a teen that was speeding instead?

It was like a rule of the road, as Yamato annoyingly called it. Once he was on duty, it was like they all got drunk and started driving. He had told the guys at the station his theory and each of them had laughed and said, 'better you then me'.

For a small town, Hokage Police Force sure seemed to have its fill of drunkards.

"Ma'ma I will not ask a third time." he said, hand resting on his gun as the woman still kept him out, her windows rolled up and a bottle of something or other in her hands.

"Go 'way." the woman glared at him, taking a swing from the bottle. Her red hair tangled and matted around her. Her eyes dulled and unfocused. "I have to leave."

"I can't let you drive in your state. If you refuse to get out of the car, I'm going to have to resort to force." he said already sending in for back up via radio. Giving all the needed information, Yamato once more turned to the woman. "Ma'ma-"

"Leave me 'lone!" the woman screamed trying and failing to get the car to move.

"I really hate to do this, but she is pissing me off." he sighed, reaching for the car and grabbing the handle. With a sigh of annoyance, he found it locked. "Ma'ma if you leave your charges will be added too."

"No!" she screamed, slamming her hands against the steering wheel, splashing some of the alcohol around the car.

When another car pulled up in front of the woman's, Yamato waited for the other officer on duty to walk toward him.

"What do we have?" Asuma asked, looking at the screaming woman. They should have been doing something to stop her from hurting herself, but like Yamato, he would wait until she used all of her energy on that thing she called a car. He had learned to let drunks do that and save his officers cuts and bruises. Was it against protcol? Possibly, but he really didn't feel like getting kicked or slapped.

"She's drunk." Yamato said bluntly. "She's in a rage. She has no idea that she needs to turn the car back on to go and I'm surprised she's not dead."

"Wonderful. Have you tried coaxing her out?" Asuma asked boredly.

"No, I've been standing here just staring at her." Yamato answered sacarstically.

With a sigh, Asuma tapped on the window with his knuckles, "Ma'ma get out of the car."

"NO!"

"I've tried." Asuma shrugged. "Go get the tools. We'll break her out."

With a roll of his eyes, Yamato went to do as told. Bringing back the needed tool, he asked the woman to unlock the car but got no answer. Without asking again he popped the lock and calmly opened the door only to get the woman screaming even louder as she tried to jump to the passengers seat.

"Ma'ma you are under arrest." Yamato said pulling the struggling red head out. Going on to read her her rights, he held her down as Asuma put the cuffs on her. Turning her toward his own car, he let Asuma go through the woman's stuff to find out who she was and pull out all they needed to take in. With the amount of alcohol pulsing from her body and in her car, the case was pretty much opened and closed.

Moving back to Asuma, he found the other coming back from his own car, a look of shock on his face.

"Asuma?"

"Kushina Uzumaki," Asuma said quickly, "There's a warrent for her arrest in Konoha. She was charged with child molestation, abuse, and every other charge that involves a child."

"What?" Yamato gasped in shock. "She's the woman that they have been searching for all over the news."

"Let's take her in and give them a call." Asuma said coldly, glaring at the woman screaming in the back of the squad car. "I'll get Genma to take care of this and meet you there."

~x~

"Please!" Yugito screamed as she held onto a random man from the station, the uniform proclaiming him as an officer. "Please my son is missing!"

"Ma'ma calm down. We'll find your little boy, but I need you to-"'

"Please find him! He's missing! My baby's missing!" Yugito cried falling to her knees. "Please find my baby!"

"Ma'ma, I'm officer Kakashi Hatake, do you have a picture of your child and his last wereabouts?" Kakashi said moving to help Iruka with the woman.

"His name is Deidara Nii. He's six years old. He was playing in our backyard! I went inside for a second! He's my only child! He's my baby and he's gone!" she continued to cry.

"Describe him to me." Kakashi said as Iruka began to get a few officers in order to send to the woman's house. "Do you have a picture? How long has he been gon-" before he could finish, the woman quickly pushed a picture frame into his hands. Turning it over, he gasped at the delicate little boy with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. In his mind he quickly saw Naruto and Kyuubi. "Shit." he whispered in shock as he showed Iruka the picture. So much for coming in and out of the station. If he was right then the man that had Deidara was also the one that once had the twins. "Get them moving now."

"On it." Iruka said and took off running.

"Ma'ma, we'll find your son." Kakashi promised as he held the woman close to his body, praying the little boy was alright.

~x~

"You are very beautiful, my little angel. God was kind to send you to me." the man smiled softly as he ran a hand through the blonde hair of the scared child.

Through the gag, Deidara screamed. With his hands and feet tied together, he couldn't move. He wanted his mommy and he wanted to go home.

"When I get my other angels back, we'll go where no one will find us again. It will be just you, me, and them." the man finished as he closed the closet door.

In the darkness that followed, Deidara cried.


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

Minato frowned with worry as he gazed back at the clock. Two hours, Naruto had been in his fifth surgery for two hours.

The first surgery was his leg. The doctor had to cut open his son's small thin leg to find all the pieces of his bone and glue then back together. The doctor had compared it to a jigsaw puzzle.

The second one was on the same day, his back. The spine had cracked and broken in two places. The doctors were forced to cut open his son again as they put them all back in order. Naruto may never walk after that, not even with the surgery, he may never even feel beneath his waist. Just that thought had Minato taking in a gulp of air to stop himself from screaming.

The third surgery had been a day later when Naruto couldn't catch his breath, the machines completely useless as the beeped like crazy in the background. They had taken a few x-rays as they forced his body to breathe and found he had brain edema. In five minutes flat, they had him back on their table. They had taken a piece of his skull out and stuck a tube to relieve the pressure building within. After that scare, Minato had looked up brain edema and almost punched the computer screen when he saw the effects it would have.

The fourth surgery was once more on his head, this time placing a small metal plate in the place of the skull they had removed. Not wanting to harm his brain anymore, but unable close it up incase of more swelling, they had watched him for a few days to make sure it wouldn't swell again. A week and five days later, they decided it was best to put the metal plate in.

Now he was waiting on the fifth surgery to be completed on his son. Only two hours and five minutes ago, after another exam, Tsuande had found something she didn't like and rushed Naruto into the operating room. It had been another blow to Minato's heart when another doctor had informed him that they had found fluid forming around Naruto's lung. They had said he may have gotten it after the pneumonia had attacked his body, almost taking his life.

What kind of world was it when a child, no more then seven, had already gone on five surgeries, when a man his age had yet to gain one? What sin did he create for his son to be given such a fucked up start in life?

If he could see Kushina right now, he'd kill her with a smile on his face. He'd walk into the court room, look the judge straight in the eye and say, 'I'd do it again'. If one could kill someone over and over again, he'd do it to Kushina and whoever the bastard was that did this to his sons.

"Minato," Tsuande called, jerking him out of his thoughts and bringing him to his feet. "Naruto is recovering. We drained the fluid but we'll keep a closer eye on him."

"What the hell is wrong with the world when a child goes through this?"

"Everything." Tsuande sighed tiredly. "He'll be taken to his room in a few minutes and then you'll be able to see him."

"Thank you." Minato said, shaking her hand. "For saving my sons, thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll send a nurse to inform your other boys." she nodded and moved on when her name was called by another doctor.

True to her word, Minato looked down at his sleeping son and let his tears fall. He wanted to reach out and hold his son but he didn't want to chance hurting him more then he already was. It hurt to know that the majority of Naruto's life was resting on the machines connected to his body. The machines that helped him breathe, helped him pee, fed him, kept him from dying...

"Naruto, I know you might not hear me but I hope and pray that you do. Please, son, please fight to hold on. Please don't give up. I know it might be hard for you to fight, your life was hard, harder then any should ever be. I know you have nothing to fight for, no, you have Kyuubi to fight for. Your brother would die right along with you if you left us Naruto. Please don't leave us. Not before I get the chance to meet you. To watch you grow and marry." Trying and failing to stop his voice from breaking he went on, "A child doesn't die before his father. No child dies before they can be free. I know you want to sleep, to keep the pain away but I promise you, with my life, my soul, everything of me, that your life will be better then any child's alive. I promise to protect you and Kyuubi beyond my last breath. Please don't join god in heaven yet. Please don't become another angel in the clouds. Please, please hold on for us. For me, for your brothers, for Kyuubi."

~x~

"Is Naruto coming yet?" Kyuubi asked hopefully. "Can I go see him?"

"Not yet," Pain smiled as he gently ran a hand over Kyuubi's bald head, a little fuzz finally appearing. "Soon though, alright."

"He's safe right?" Kyuubi asked, looking into his eyes, his own bright blue eyes asking for one answer. The begging plea within, breaking his heart.

"Yes, Daddy's with him remember? He won't let anyone hurt him anymore." Pain nodded, wishing he was better with children like Nagato. Since Nagato went to go check on Naruto and their dad, it was up to Pain to make everything alright with a few words that he begged as truths.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart." Pain answered and was shocked at the trust he saw in Kyuubi's eyes. How could this little boy trust him so quickly and so easily? He could understand Nagato, but he, himself was a terrible person. He got in trouble with the law did everything he could to keep things interesting. Bullied kids and teens alike. Made life hell for his dad. He was a bad person, he knew it but didn't care... not until now. Not until he met his brothers. Not until he saw how much they had suffered because of a woman he couldn't really stand. Feeling his phone vibrating in his pocket, he smiled at Kyuubi, "Why don't you watch cartoons, I need to answer something, alright?"

"Okay," Kyuubi nodded, and with help from Pain, moved off of Pain's lap to sit on the bed. Pushing the button he turned his gaze to watch some weird looking show on cartoon network.

Walking to the corner of the room, Pain pulled out his phone, "What?"

"'Sup man," Hidan answered from the otherside, "Listen, Kakuzu got us a way into the concert. There are going to be some fuckin' sexy babes. Just let us know where to get yo-"

"I'm not going." Pain cut him off.

"What the hell do you mean you're not going! Fuck man, it took forever to get us in and you're ditching-"

"I have something else to do. The concert means shit to me right now."

"What the hell is more important then this?"

"Something you wouldn't understand." Pain growled softly, turning his gaze to see Kyuubi giggling at the image on the screen. "Take Kisame, or Konan. I'm out."

"What the hell-" before Hidan could finish his sentence, Pain ended the call and put it back in his pocket. Moving to the bed, he sat down beside Kyuubi and pulled his little brother into the crook of his arm. This was more important then anything out there. It wouldn't be easy, but Pain was going to try turning a new leaf. He was going to try and get his life on track.

"Look!" Kyuubi said, pointing to some weird little kid doing odd stunts.

"Wow," Pain nodded in amazement. "I bet I can do that."

"Really?" Kyuubi asked in awe, turning to give him a look that Pain had never seen directed at him. It was one of wonder and hero worship. It was one that he didn't deserve.

"We'll have to wait and see." Pain said softly, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. God, if you are real, help me... help me be better for them.

~x~

Danzo watched in silence, his eyes never leaving the child playing on the swing, in the park, by himself as he sang 'You are my sunshine'. He was almost like his angels. His hair was blonde and his eyes were blue. He was his angels' age, he had to be, and he was beautiful.

He had to have been another angel sent down to him by god himself. He was made to join his own two earth bond angels.

Moving to open his door, Danzo put one foot on the ground and was halfway out when he saw a woman with blonde hair in a long braid and the same eyes. Sitting back down he frowned in anger as she moved to his angel.

"Deidara, honey, time to go home."

"Okay mommy." the little boy smiled, his voice just as perfect as his angels. Jumping from the swing he ran to her side and held her hand. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you..."

"Make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." Danzo finished, starting the car to follow the woman's little four door, all the while humming the lovely little lullaby.


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

"Yahiko?" Kyuubi yawned as he fought to stay awake, his little body curled around a stuffed bear that Nagato had bought in the hospital gift shop. It was nothing special, brown with button black eyes. It was fuzzy and small. Pain would have never even looked at it twice, but with not much money on him, Nagato had bought what he could. Kyuubi's expression when he saw it was amazing. There was no other word he could use for it. The little boy eyes had lit up and the joy on his face was beautiful. Pain was almost brought to tears by Kyuubi and had to quickly turn away.

"Yeah?" Pain asked from the spot behind his little brother. He had tried to move to the chair to let Kyuubi be more comfortable, but Kyuubi wouldn't let him go. Since Nagato had taken it upon himself to be mostly with Naruto and their dad, coming back to check on Kyuubi and tell them about Naruto's condition, Pain had become pretty close to the little guy. He had yet to see Naruto himself, only because he promised Kyuubi that they'd see their other brother as one. He wanted to see his other brother. He wanted to know what Naruto looked like, even if he looked like Kyuubi, he wanted to see him so badly but he couldn't break Kyuubi's trust.

"Do you think Naruto will be awake tomorrow? Yahiko, can we go see him?" Kyuubi asked, turning slightly to look over his shoulder at Pain. It was weird to hear his real name being used. It always caught Pain by surprise and the first few times he heard it, he had to remember it was him. Yet Pain didn't want Kyuubi to know him as Pain. He wanted the other to know him as Yahiko, or big brother, but not Pain. Pain was the name that was associated with breaking the law. Yahiko was more innocent. It was the name that should be spoken by his baby brothers.

"I'm not sure. He's still healing, but when he wakes up, we'll be the first ones to see him." Pain promised. "Come on, Kyu, time for bed."

"Can you hold me?" Kyuubi asked, sitting up and turning to face him. "Please?"

"Yeah." Pain nodded and pulled the little boy into his lap. When Kyuubi was comfortable, he kissed his fuzzy short blonde hair. "Night kid."

"Night Yahiko." Kyuubi yawned.

~x~

"Ma'ma please step out of the car." Yamato ordered again when the woman refused to follow his orders the first time. Why was it him that always ended up with the stubbern drunks? Why couldn't he just pull over a teen that was speeding instead?

It was like a rule of the road, as Yamato annoyingly called it. Once he was on duty, it was like they all got drunk and started driving. He had told the guys at the station his theory and each of them had laughed and said, 'better you then me'.

For a small town, Hokage Police Force sure seemed to have its fill of drunkards.

"Ma'ma I will not ask a third time." he said, hand resting on his gun as the woman still kept him out, her windows rolled up and a bottle of something or other in her hands.

"Go 'way." the woman glared at him, taking a swing from the bottle. Her red hair tangled and matted around her. Her eyes dulled and unfocused. "I have to leave."

"I can't let you drive in your state. If you refuse to get out of the car, I'm going to have to resort to force." he said already sending in for back up via radio. Giving all the needed information, Yamato once more turned to the woman. "Ma'ma-"

"Leave me 'lone!" the woman screamed trying and failing to get the car to move.

"I really hate to do this, but she is pissing me off." he sighed, reaching for the car and grabbing the handle. With a sigh of annoyance, he found it locked. "Ma'ma if you leave your charges will be added too."

"No!" she screamed, slamming her hands against the steering wheel, splashing some of the alcohol around the car.

When another car pulled up in front of the woman's, Yamato waited for the other officer on duty to walk toward him.

"What do we have?" Asuma asked, looking at the screaming woman. They should have been doing something to stop her from hurting herself, but like Yamato, he would wait until she used all of her energy on that thing she called a car. He had learned to let drunks do that and save his officers cuts and bruises. Was it against protcol? Possibly, but he really didn't feel like getting kicked or slapped.

"She's drunk." Yamato said bluntly. "She's in a rage. She has no idea that she needs to turn the car back on to go and I'm surprised she's not dead."

"Wonderful. Have you tried coaxing her out?" Asuma asked boredly.

"No, I've been standing here just staring at her." Yamato answered sacarstically.

With a sigh, Asuma tapped on the window with his knuckles, "Ma'ma get out of the car."

"NO!"

"I've tried." Asuma shrugged. "Go get the tools. We'll break her out."

With a roll of his eyes, Yamato went to do as told. Bringing back the needed tool, he asked the woman to unlock the car but got no answer. Without asking again he popped the lock and calmly opened the door only to get the woman screaming even louder as she tried to jump to the passengers seat.

"Ma'ma you are under arrest." Yamato said pulling the struggling red head out. Going on to read her her rights, he held her down as Asuma put the cuffs on her. Turning her toward his own car, he let Asuma go through the woman's stuff to find out who she was and pull out all they needed to take in. With the amount of alcohol pulsing from her body and in her car, the case was pretty much opened and closed.

Moving back to Asuma, he found the other coming back from his own car, a look of shock on his face.

"Asuma?"

"Kushina Uzumaki," Asuma said quickly, "There's a warrent for her arrest in Konoha. She was charged with child molestation, abuse, and every other charge that involves a child."

"What?" Yamato gasped in shock. "She's the woman that they have been searching for all over the news."

"Let's take her in and give them a call." Asuma said coldly, glaring at the woman screaming in the back of the squad car. "I'll get Genma to take care of this and meet you there."

~x~

"Please!" Yugito screamed as she held onto a random man from the station, the uniform proclaiming him as an officer. "Please my son is missing!"

"Ma'ma calm down. We'll find your little boy, but I need you to-"'

"Please find him! He's missing! My baby's missing!" Yugito cried falling to her knees. "Please find my baby!"

"Ma'ma, I'm officer Kakashi Hatake, do you have a picture of your child and his last wereabouts?" Kakashi said moving to help Iruka with the woman.

"His name is Deidara Nii. He's six years old. He was playing in our backyard! I went inside for a second! He's my only child! He's my baby and he's gone!" she continued to cry.

"Describe him to me." Kakashi said as Iruka began to get a few officers in order to send to the woman's house. "Do you have a picture? How long has he been gon-" before he could finish, the woman quickly pushed a picture frame into his hands. Turning it over, he gasped at the delicate little boy with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. In his mind he quickly saw Naruto and Kyuubi. "Shit." he whispered in shock as he showed Iruka the picture. So much for coming in and out of the station. If he was right then the man that had Deidara was also the one that once had the twins. "Get them moving now."

"On it." Iruka said and took off running.

"Ma'ma, we'll find your son." Kakashi promised as he held the woman close to his body, praying the little boy was alright.

~x~

"You are very beautiful, my little angel. God was kind to send you to me." the man smiled softly as he ran a hand through the blonde hair of the scared child.

Through the gag, Deidara screamed. With his hands and feet tied together, he couldn't move. He wanted his mommy and he wanted to go home.

"When I get my other angels back, we'll go where no one will find us again. It will be just you, me, and them." the man finished as he closed the closet door.

In the darkness that followed, Deidara cried.


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

**A/N: I have no idea about the time line now, I can't really remember it so we'll say that Naruto and Kyuubi have been in the hospital for two months-ish (Kyuubi two weeks more so then Naruto), just to get this going again. **

**P.S. Both stories read by Pain are completely made up.**

**P.S.S. I can't remember who it was, but I want to thank the person who gave me a few ideas to use for this story (and a few others). So thank you greatly for that. ^_^ **

"Once more we bring you an update about an ongoing case that many of you already know." the news anchor said as he looked straight into the camera, his face completely professional as his co-host sat quietly beside him. "Almost three months ago two little boys were found by Leaf Valley policemen. Kyuubi Uzumaki was found by Officer Shikaku Nara on a routine check around the outskirts of Leaf Valley while Naruto Uzumaki, Kyuubi's identical twin, was found two weeks later by a K-9 officer Kakashi Hatake. Though a recovery of any child is a wonderful ending, that was not the case with Kyuubi and Naruto Uzumaki. These seven year old little boys have survived a nightmare that continues to expand as each day passes and new information comes to light."

At that the anchor paused briefly, taking a breath as he forced the next words out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, but I can't keep speaking about these children as if they are just another story." he said finally. "I am a father of three children, and I have a child that is also seven. And the thought of anything even happening to any of my children, I have no words to use to describe the emotions that I'm feeling. Naruto and Kyuubi, those boys are innocents, they were born into this world and were forced to live in one I would not wish upon my worst enemy. They aren't just a story, or another headline. They were innocents taken from their father, without his knowledge that they were ever created. They were little boys given away to a monster and now the world is asking anyone for any kind of lead to find the man responsible for their sufferin-"

Click.

"In this developing story, police are asking if everyone for any information on finding a six year old boy by the name of Deidara Nii. He disappeared yesterday afternoon-"

With another click, the channel changed to another as a woman appeared on screen. Her face filled with enthusiastic glee as she spoke. "-arlier today we were given information that Kushina Uzumaki, the mother to the twin boys found by Leaf Valley officials, was taken into custody without bail..."

With a click of the remote, Danzo frowned as the tv went blank. Kushina would give him up in a heartbeat. It was only a matter of time before the police had his name and picture posted all over the place. He needed to get his angels and run, but how was he going to get into the hospital?

~x~

"-and as the little boy held up his palm, the fluttering butterfly perched as regal as any king." Pain finished, closing the little child's book that a nurse had brought in for Kyuubi to keep. Hell, the book was one of many others that guest and well-wishers had sent along with other gifts and stuffed animals and other toys. Since the world had found out about Kyuubi and Naruto, the hospital had been filled with people coming to pray or bring gifts to the twins.

Everyone wanted to see the boys that survived hell and lived to tell about it. They wanted to show the twins that there was a whole world wanting to be their army and bring their demon to justice. Some had even come to help their dad in getting quick and full custody of the twin boys. Making the process as easy as possible for Minato. People from the otherside of the world had even sent their best wishes and donated money to help pay for the hospital bill. For that, Minato had sent a gratifying thank you to everyone via a police representative, since he did not wish to leave the twin sides for even a moment. Hell, Pain knew that if his dad could some how get it done, he would have both Naruto and Kyuubi in the same room. Instead he would either be on one end of the building where Naruto was in the ICU, or if Nagato was here, he'd be here with them on this side of the building with Kyuubi.

"How come the butterfly came to him?" Kyuubi asked, holding the stuffed bear, that Nagato had given him, close to his heart. "How come it didn't fly away again?"

"Because the butterfly realized that the boy wouldn't hurt it. The butterfly realized that even something as big as a little boy could be his friend." Pain smiled, kissing Kyuubi's head as the little blonde opened the book to the last page.

"Like me and you." Kyuubi said in awe, his little finger running gently over the blue and white butterfly's wings.

"Exactly like us." Pain nodded. "You and Naruto are the butterfly, and me, Nagato, and dad are the boy. No matter what, we'll always protect you. Just like the boy protected the butterfly from the spider, the rain, and the cat."

"How come you didn't protect us from the man?" Kyuubi asked innocently, not seeing the look that crossed Pain's stunned face. Even if Kyuubi didn't mean to, Pain felt as if he had been stabbed. It made him feel as if he had turned his back on the twins, when in reality he knew nothing of them. But even that didn't help at all. It made him feel worse. If he had even looked for his mother instead of completely ignored her over the last eight years, he could have saved Kyuubi and Naruto. He could have done something. Instead he had let his anger and embarrasment of his mother get in the way. He had unintentinally abused his baby brothers.

"I'm sorry." Pain said when he had nothing else to say. Clearing his throat as his eyes watered, he tried to say more but the clog in his throat kept him from speaking.

"Yahiko?" Kyuubi frowned in worry, his eyebrows crinkled as his bottom lip trembled. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's not your fault." Pain forced a smile, hugging Kyuubi close, "Let's... Do you want me to read you another story?" he asked, as more tears threatened to fall.

"Can you read the one about the cat in the waterpark again?" Kyuubi asked, turning his head to see if he could spot the book.

"Yeah, I'll read you any story you like." Pain nodded quickly, finding the book under his leg. "Silly Billy Visits the Park." Pain started, flipping to the first page. "Silly Billy was such a silly cat. Everything he did, made people wonder and say, _now how did he do that? _ So when Silly Billy decided to visit the park, no one was at all surprised when he ended up in the waterpark..." as he read, Pain watched as Kyuubi giggled at Silly Billy the cat and all the little mishaps the cat had. With each word that passed his lips, Pain wondered how Kyuubi could be so innocent? How could this little boy who had suffered so greatly be so free and pure? How had he survived and still come out the child he was? And after that, Pain wondered if there was anyway to keep that sweet innocents within his brother for the rest of his life? If there was a a way to keep Kyuubi from suffering in the future from this? If there was a way to give Naruto the childhood he was denied?

~x~

"Any leads, Umino?" the chief asked the detective as he stood beside his desk, lifting the file Iruka had beside his computer, the hand writing indiciting that it belonged to his partner, Mizuki.

"We have four policemen searching the area around the child's home." Iruka said. "We have a few leads, some more promising then the others. The Amber Alert is appearing on every channel local and statewide. Deidara's face is plastered all over billboards and the tv. Every five minutes, radio djs are sending out Deidara's discription again."

"I know all of this," Chief Akimichi said, his eyes skimming through the document. "I want to know what you found not what they are doing."

"Yes, sir." Iruka said quickly, looking down at his notes. "We have a possible vehical that could have been used taking Deidara."

"What vehical?"

"No one got the brand of the car, but all three witnesses that described it said it had four doors and was in decent condition. None of the three can decide on the color, but all indicate it was dark. The windows were tinted so none could see within." Iruka said. "No one was seen entering or leaving the car."

"From when to when was that car there?" Chief Akimichi asked.

"One man said he was positive it was there in the morning but gone by the afternoon. Another man said he was sure he didn't see it in the morning, but he saw it in the afternoon between 12:00. The woman said she saw the car arrive at nine and saw the cautious lights went on. Thinking nothing of it, she left it alone and when she looked back outside three hours later it was gone. So from that we can assume that each saw the car and that around twelve the car was gone." Iruka said. "At 12:20 Ms. Nii arrived here."

"Who is taking this lead?"

"Mizuki, sir." Iruka said.

~x~

A little old man shuffled along the hallway, moving every bit as slow as one his age would. His shoulders were slumped and the cane he used made happy taps every few shuffled steps. The fuzzy mustace and fluffy white hair added to the harmless gentlemen. Smiling cheerfully at the nurses, he made sure to happily tell them, in a voice filled with age, that he was a great-grandpa now and was on his way to see his great-granddaughter. He made sure to hold his pink roses up for all of them to see, saying how it had taken him hours to find the perfect flowers for a perfect baby girl.

When nurses questioned him about his great-granddaughter, he'd go into a story about how he knew it was going to be a girl. And how he hoped they named him after his beautiful bride that had passed away years ago. Some nurses even gave him a hand, aiding him toward the childrens section of the hospital, wishing him a good day and a beautiful future for his granddaughter.

Moving passed the nursery and tossing the flowers, the little old man continued onto the rooms of the older patients, peaking into each one briefly. When someone would look closely at him, he'd continue on, speaking about the joy of children and how sad it was that these little souls were here instead of playing outside like children should. He'd tell them about his own great-granddaughter that was just born and how he had met her and held her, when they questioned him. When they asked why he was here instead of in the nursery, he'd say that his granddaughter had told them about these children here and he wanted to pray for each of them. He told them that god would save them but HE needed his help to do so. At this a few tears would escape his eye and a hanky would be slowly pulled from his back pocket.

Even then the staff kept an eye on him, as he suffled along, pausing briefly to pray for every child and express his sorrow for the families, all of which accepted his words and thanked him for his kindness.

As he moved on to the next family, the old man paused as nurses and doctors sprinted passed him, heading for a room he had passed. With the chaos that followed the mother's screaming and pleas to save her little girl, the old man quickly moved passed the nurse station, looking for a name. When he found it, a smirk appeared and in the minutes that followed, the man stood in front of a room, watching a little boy reading along with a teenager. The little old man went to grasp the handle but the sound of foosteps stopped him. Pulling back quickly, he walked on, passing a blonde man with shadows under his red tired eyes. What surprised the old man was how much he looked like the little boy.

Pausing briefly, the old man watched as the other walked into the room of his angel and that's when it hit him. That man was Minato Namikaze, Kushina's ex husband. Turning away, the old man walked on moving into a bathroom. Five minutes later, another younger man appeared wearing a nurses uniform. His hair was dark, his eyes even darker, each standing out more with how pale he was. With quick steps, he moved toward another room, never pausing or straying from his path. As the room came into view, the man paused long enough to see if any doctors were near, but all he saw were nurses busy with other patients.

Grabbing the clip-board from the door, he walked in closing the door behind him, and noticed a young thin teenager sitting beside the bed.

"Can I help you?" the teen asked.

"I'm just doing a quick check up." the nurse replied.

"Who are you? You're not his nurse."

"I'm filling in. We had a bit of an emergency a few minutes ago with another patient." came the quick reply as he checked over the information, moving closer to the suspecious teen.

"Can I see your information then?" the teen demanded, stopping him from getting to the little boy connected to machines.

"Of course," the nurse nodded, reaching into his pocket. As the teen's eyes followed, he brought the clipboard down hard on the teen's head. With a sigh, the nurse placed the teen on the chair and moved quickly to the little boy. Two minutes later, every wire that once graced the child's skin now rested on the teens, the IV's left to drip onto the ground. Not a minute later the nurse and the child were gone.


End file.
